Kazakhstan's transport strategy, which involves expanding routes connecting Central Asia, the Caspian region, and Europe, could create new logistics opportunities for Pakistan via Azerbaijan. This was stated by Hossein Fashkhami, Director of Market Development at the Anzali Free Zone Organization.
He noted that Kazakhstan demonstrates the economic significance of coordinated transport networks:
"Despite being the world's largest landlocked country, Kazakhstan has invested heavily in railways, highways, Caspian ports, border terminals, logistics centers, and digital transport systems to become one of Eurasia's key transit hubs. Over the past seven years, about $35 billion has been directed to Kazakhstan's transport infrastructure. Currently, new projects are being implemented to expand transport capacity in the directions of China, Central Asia, the Caspian region, and Europe."
Fashkhami emphasized that this is also important for Pakistan:
"While Kazakhstan invests in overcoming the constraints of being landlocked, Pakistan has the advantage that Kazakhstan needs most: direct access to the Arabian Sea. The state visit of Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Pakistan in February 2026 demonstrated strategic opportunities for deepening cooperation between the two countries. Kazakhstan is focused not so much on individual projects as on forming transport corridors. The concept for developing the country's transport and logistics potential until 2030 provides for the parallel development of road, rail, sea, and air transport, the creation of cross-border logistics centers, the renewal of the transport fleet, and the reduction of non-physical barriers in the transit process."
He noted that an OECD analysis also highlights Kazakhstan's strategic position. The country borders China, has the ports of Aktau and Kuryk on the Caspian Sea, and plays a central role in the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor):
"The Middle Corridor runs along the route China - Kazakhstan - Caspian Sea - Azerbaijan - Georgia - Turkey/Black Sea - Europe. As cargo carriers prefer more sustainable and diversified Eurasian routes, the volume of cargo transported along this corridor is growing rapidly. The volume of goods transported along the China-Europe route via the Caspian Sea was less than 1.5 million tons in 2022, while in 2024 it exceeded 3.3 million tons. Kazakhstan aims to increase transit cargo volumes to 74 million tons by 2030 and is expanding transport capacity before demand fully materializes. The foundation of this strategy is a series of railway projects. These include the construction of a second track on the Dostyk - Moiynty line and increasing its capacity, the Bakhty - Ayagoz railway line of about 300 kilometers, which will create an additional exit to China, as well as the development of a railway line bypassing Almaty to eliminate obstacles arising during cargo transportation."
According to Fashkhami, this strategy creates a number of practical opportunities for Pakistan:
Transit partnership: coordination of port and inland logistics capabilities to attract part of the cargo flows along Eurasia;
Corridor integration: connecting Pakistan's sea access with Central Asia's land transport routes and creating faster and more diversified trade routes;
Joint investments: joint development of multimodal logistics centers, customs facilitation mechanisms, and digital cargo tracking systems to reduce transit time and costs.