Kazakhstan and Greece Strengthen Cooperation in Transport and Logistics

Athens, 16 May 2025 – On May 14-16, 2025, a Kazakhstan transport delegation paid a working visit to the Hellenic Republic, organised by the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Athens.

The delegation included representatives of the Committee for Railway and Water Transport of the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Aktau International Commercial Sea Port, «Kazmortransflot», «Kedentranservice», «Kaspi Grain Way», as well as the National company «Kazakh Invest».

The visit followed the agreements reached during the meeting between the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic Kyriakos Mitsotakis on 13 November 2024 in Baku on the margins of the COP-29 international conference. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to intensifying bilateral cooperation in transport and logistics, including the development of joint infrastructure projects.

The core focus of the visit was the potential of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (the “Middle Corridor”) and its linkage with Greek transport and port infrastructure, as well as joint personnel training. At a Round Table organised together with the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV), the Kazakhstani side presented forward-looking projects for modernising Caspian ports and outlined the terms and mechanisms for attracting foreign investment. Greek partners expressed interest in developing joint multimodal logistics services.

During the visit, meetings were held with senior management of Greece’s National Growthfund PPF, which manages state assets and implements port-development projects, as well as with the leadership of leading shipping companies Navios Maritime Holdings and Tsakos Group, whose combined fleet exceeds 280 vessels. The delegation also visited Greece’s largest port – Piraeus and learned the production capacities of the Skaramangas and Elefsis (ONEX Group) shipyards, and reviewed the operations of POLYECO, a cutting-edge Greek company specialising in waste processing and oil-spill remediation.

Special attention was given to negotiations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic with Secretary-General Dimitris Skalkos and representatives of ministries. The parties discussed prospects for integrating the «Caspian – Black Sea – Mediterranean» route into European transport networks, including under the «Global Gateway» initiative, as well as ways to deepen expert dialogue at an institutional level. Dimitris Skalkos stressed that «development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route opens significant prospects for deepening cooperation between Greece and Kazakhstan and will organically connect new transport chains with the Balkans.»

Kasym Tlepov, Head of the Kazakh delegation and Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Railway and Water Transport of the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan, emphasised that developing the Trans-Caspian route is a key priority for Kazakhstan in diversifying its export directions. He invited Greek companies to participate in modernising port and logistics infrastructure, assuring them of the most favourable investment conditions. According to him, implementation of these projects will reinforce the resilience of regional supply chains and give fresh impetus both to bilateral trade and to broader engagement with European countries.

Timur Sultangozhin, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Greece, noted that Kazakhstan and Greece, as important transport and logistics hubs in their respective regions, have wide-ranging opportunities for joint projects and for strengthening bilateral relations.

The visit resulted in significant progress in bolstering institutional cooperation and establishing direct contacts between relevant agencies and business communities of the two countries. This lays a solid foundation for further expansion of Kazakh-Greek cooperation in transport, logistics and green technologies, as well as preparation for upcoming high-level contacts.