BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 3. President of
Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has proposed that Kazakhstan and
Laos pursue the conclusion of relevant intergovernmental and
interagency agreements in the field of transport and logistics.


This was announced by the press service of the Kazakh President,
following Tokayev's expanded talks with the President of Laos,
Thongloun Sisoulith, in Astana.


According to Tokayev, the country considers Laos an important
partner in Southeast Asia and sees significant potential for
expanding trade between the two nations.


“We stand for further development of trade and economic
cooperation between Kazakhstan and Laos, viewing it as an important
basis for further strengthening our relations. We see significant
potential for expanding supplies of Kazakh products to the Lao
market, primarily products of the metallurgical, food,
petrochemical, agricultural, chemical, machine-building and
pharmaceutical industries,” Tokayev said.


Particular attention during the talks was paid to transport and
logistics cooperation between the two countries. Tokayev
highlighted Kazakhstan's transport network and the country's role
in developing the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route
connecting China and Europe.


“Kazakhstan has the largest transport network in Central Asia
and is actively developing the Trans-Caspian International
Transport Route, which connects China and Europe. Our country
handles about 85% of continental freight transportation between
China and Europe. Kazakh terminals operate at the ports of Batumi
in Georgia and Lianyungang in China. We have launched a Kazakh
logistics hub in Xi'an, China, whose platform can be used by Lao
freight carriers,” Tokayev said.


He noted that Kazakhstan sees opportunities to use its transport
corridors to facilitate the access of Lao products to the markets
of Central Asia and Europe, while Kazakhstan is interested in
expanding its own supplies to Southeast Asian markets via Laos.


“Kazakhstan is interested in expanding supplies of its products
to Southeast Asian markets via Laos. In turn, we highly appreciate
Laos' achievements in transforming from a ‘landlocked country’ into
a ‘land-linked country’ of Southeast Asia. The Laos-China railway
has significantly strengthened the country's transit potential and
opened up new opportunities for connecting ASEAN with China and
Europe. I propose that our governments focus on concluding relevant
intergovernmental and interagency agreements in the field of
transport and logistics,” the Kazakh president said.


Tokayev also invited Lao companies to make active use of the
opportunities offered by the Astana International Financial Centre
(AIFC).







“The AIFC has already become an international platform for doing
business and attracting investment. It brings together more than
6,300 registered companies from over 90 countries, creating a
dynamic business environment. Through the AIFC platform, $27
billion in investment has been attracted to Kazakhstan. For Lao
companies, the AIFC can become an effective tool for entering the
Kazakh market and further expanding their presence in Central
Asia,” he said.


The presidents also discussed prospects for cooperation in
culture, humanitarian ties and tourism. The sides noted significant
potential for establishing closer ties between higher education
institutions, expanding academic exchanges and jointly training
specialists, including the education of Lao specialists in
Kazakhstan in fields in demand.


For his part, Thongloun Sisoulith said his visit to Kazakhstan
was an important milestone in the development of bilateral
relations.


“I regard Kazakhstan as one of the Central Asian countries that
has always maintained good and stable relations with Laos.
Kazakhstan provided assistance to Laos as early as during the
national liberation struggle and continues to support our country
to this day. No matter how the situation changes, relations between
Kazakhstan and Laos, our fraternal ties and mutual goodwill have
remained unchanged. I believe that this visit will contribute to
further strengthening and expanding friendly relations between the
two countries,” the Lao President said.


Sisoulith also highlighted Kazakhstan's assistance in training
specialists for Laos, noting that hundreds of Lao citizens had
received education in Kazakhstan.


“Hundreds of Lao citizens have received education and graduated
from educational institutions in Kazakhstan. Today, many of them
work in public service, are entrepreneurs, and hold senior
positions at the central and local levels. All of them warmly
remember Kazakhstan, which provided them with support and
assistance during their studies. Certainly, they are looking
forward to welcoming representatives of Kazakhstan to Laos, meeting
with them and expressing their deep gratitude,” he said.


Following the talks, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Thongloun
Sisoulith adopted a Joint Statement confirming the mutual interest
of Kazakhstan and Laos in further expanding bilateral
cooperation.