Cargo flows through Caspian Sea may quadruple by 2040, Tokayev says
The President said it while addressing the 8th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and Azerbaijan, Qazinform News Agency reports, citing the Akorda press service.
Tokayev noted that, according to World Bank estimates, if all planned infrastructure projects are implemented, cargo flows through the Caspian Sea could quadruple by 2040.
“I believe we could discuss, at the expert level for the time being, the integration of the Middle Corridor with the TRIPP transport initiative. This would expand its existing potential and serve the long-term interests of all our countries,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized.
The Head of State identified water resources as another priority, noting that this issue represents one of the key challenges to stability in Central Asia.
“We face the task of developing new approaches to the management of transboundary water resources. They should be based on the principles of mutual respect, equality and consideration of the interests of all states in the region. The adoption of a Central Asian Framework Convention on Water Use could serve as a starting point for shaping a new regional architecture of cooperation. This draft document is already under consideration by all parties. The initiative to establish an International Water Organization under the auspices of the United Nations is also highly relevant. This proposal could be given an international, and in particular Central Asian, dimension. Joint efforts to promote it would constitute our common contribution to the development of a global system for water resource management,” the President noted.
Earlier,Tokayev proposed Central Asian states and Azerbaijan to increase mutual trade to $20 billion.
