Slovenia's Koper seaport could join TITR project
ASTANA. March 31 (Interfax) - Kazakhstan and Slovenia have discussed the possibility of Slovenia's Koper seaport, Luka Koper, joining the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) project, the Kazakh president's press service said.
As explained, the discussion took place during talks between Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Slovenian President Natasa Pirc-Musar in Astana.
"Separately, the heads of state considered the possibility of expanding transport and logistics ties. In particular, they discussed the accession of Slovenia's Luka Koper seaport to the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route project and reached a mutual understanding on the issue," the press service said.
The relevant departments have been instructed to take specific measures to boost the volume of mutual trade.
An agreement was also reached following the talks on implementing new projects in the mining industry, green energy, the nuclear industry, digitalization and innovation, healthcare, and tourism.
"I have called for intensifying the intergovernmental commission's operations and taking its activities to a new level in order to use the existing opportunities effectively. Expanding contacts between our countries' business communities is one of the priority tasks. We have considered the matter to establish a Kazakhstan-Slovenia business council. [...] I am convinced that these measures will help intensify work in this area," the press service quoted Tokayev as saying.
The port of Koper is located in the northern part of the Adriatic Sea, connecting the markets of Central and South-Eastern Europe with the Mediterranean region.
The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route is an international transport corridor that passes through China, Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and further to Turkey and European countries. The volume of transportation along the TITR increased 1.6-fold year-on-year to 4.5 million tonnes in 2024, with 35,600 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers transported in the China-Europe direction, a jump of 27-fold year-on-year. The target is 5.2 million tonnes for 2025, including 70,000 TEU.
