Prime Ministers Abdulla Aripov of Uzbekistan and Olzhas Bektenov of Kazakhstan discussed prospects for increasing cargo traffic along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), the press service of Kazakhstan's government said Thursday.
The two PMs visited the Aktau International Sea Trade Port, one of the key facilities on the TITR route, touring the grounds and inspecting the port's infrastructure and handling capacity.
The Aktau International Sea Trade Port is capable of handling up to 12 million tons of cargo per year and provides year-round shipping links to the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Caspian region, according to the statement.
Olzhas Bektenov noted that developing maritime infrastructure remains one of the priorities of Kazakhstan's government. He said that dredging work at the port of Kuryk was completed in 2025, and a similar project at the port of Aktau is expected to be finished by the end of 2026. This will allow the ports to receive fully loaded vessels, increase throughput capacity, and create conditions for further expanding port infrastructure.
According to the press service, the volume of Uzbek cargo handled through the ports of Aktau and Kuryk grew by more than 60% in 2025. "Our task is to ensure that Central Asian countries' cargo has fast and reliable access to the markets of the Caucasus, Turkey, and Europe. Kazakhstan is ready to expand the transit of Uzbekistan's export cargo through the ports of Aktau and Kuryk," Bektenov said.
Following the visit, the two prime ministers instructed the national railway operators — Uzbekistan Temir Yollari and Kazakhstan Temir Zholy — to jointly develop a concrete plan for increasing shipping volumes.
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