OSCE-led project on strengthening green ports and connectivity in the Caspian Sea Region launches activities in Kazakhstan

The OSCE launched activities in Kazakhstan to support the development of green ports and connectivity in the Caspian Sea Region. They included a launch event on 30 September 2019 in Nur-Sultan and two technical workshops with port authorities in Aktau and Kuryk on 2 and 3 October, respectively.

The gathering was held at the International Centre of Green Technologies and Investments. More than 30 representatives from the relevant ministries, private sector companies, business associations and OSCE experts participated. They exchanged views on the future of sustainable trade in the Caspian region and the role of digitalization as an enabler for trade facilitation.

The event was organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Affairs, with support from the OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan and Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The workshops in the ports of Aktau and Kuryk were attended by the port authorities, representatives of the port trade community and international experts. They discussed further steps to implement energy efficiency and trade facilitation in the port operations.

The events are part of the OSCE project which aims to help facilitate trade flows from Asia to Europe through the Caspian Sea by making them faster, cheaper and more sustainable. Apart from Kazakhstan, the OSCE project covers Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.

“Through this innovative flagship project the OSCE will make a contribution to strengthening regional sustainability, connectivity, security and economic growth across the Caspian Sea Region. This will have positive economic implications for the OSCE region as a whole,” said György Szabó, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan.

The regional approach, advocated by the OSCE for this project, aims at strengthening regional connectivity between the main ports of these three countries. This will be achieved by establishing a digital platform to reduce trade costs, facilitate information exchange and increase overall efficiency and security along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.

As part of the OSCE efforts to encourage connectivity in the region, a regional briefing for representatives of the project’s beneficiary countries was held on 4 October in the port of Baku.

Officials from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan met and exchanged views on the project implementation at the regional level.

The events in Kazakhstan followed the start of project activities in Azerbaijan in June 2019. In late October, the project will continue with technical meetings in Ashgabat and the Port of Turkmenbashi, supporting Turkmenistan on green ports and connectivity.

The project receives financial support from Azerbaijan, Germany, Italy and Iceland.