Kazakhstan plans to increase oil transport via BTC pipeline

Kazakhstan intends to increase oil transportation volumes through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline.

Report informs, citing Akorda, that Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said this following talks with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.

"Our countries support successful cooperation in the energy sector. We intend to increase oil transportation volumes through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. Active work is being carried out within the framework of the intergovernmental commission on trade and economy. I hope today's meeting will contribute to identifying new priorities for the future," Tokayev said.

According to him, trade and investment cooperation remains the foundation of bilateral relations. Despite global instability, trade turnover between the two countries has potential for further growth. Tokayev noted that Kazakhstan has invested more than half a billion dollars in Georgia's economy and remains one of the country's largest investors.

Tokayev also said he was confident that the signed joint statement on establishing a strategic partnership would bring relations between Kazakhstan and Georgia to a qualitatively new level. The Kazakh president proposed giving a clear structure to the future development of the strategic partnership and preparing a "road map" focused on energy, investment, transport connectivity, agriculture, digitalization, tourism and other promising areas.

Special attention was paid to the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR). As key participants in the project, Kazakhstan and Georgia intend to take consistent measures to develop transport and logistics infrastructure, expand container transportation, coordinate tariff policy and accelerate digitalization. It was noted that transit traffic along the TITR has increased 3.5 times over the past five years, and the number of container trains running along the route is expected to reach 3,000 by 2029.

In addition to the port of Batumi, Kazakhstan is interested in expanding its presence in other port zones of Georgia. In particular, a new multimodal terminal was opened in Poti last year with the participation of Kazakh investors. The port of Anaklia was also described as a promising project for strengthening interregional ties.