Marat Terterov Chairs Kazakhstan-EU Conference for Tokayev’s Brussels Visit
On June 22, Brussels hosted the high-level business conference, “Strengthening EU–Kazakhstan Connectivity: Prospects and Strategic Potential of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR).”
The conference was chaired by Dr Marat Terterov, founder of the Brussels Energy Club, who moderated interventions from more than 20 high-level speakers from Kazakhstan, the EU and a range of international corporations. The strategic importance of the conference was underscored by the official visit of Kazakhstan's President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, to Brussels for meeting with EU top brass.
In his initial remarks, which opened the conference, Dr Terterov reminded participants that the concept of the TITR is not a novel idea and initially came to light during the 1990s, when Dr Terterov first started working with Kazakhstan. Dr Terterov informed the conference that the current impetus reviving the corridor and giving it a new sense of importance includes EU sanctions applied to Russia, limiting transport along the northern corridor (which runs through Russia), and the sharp growth in EU-China land trade, which calls for further Eurasian transport corridors connecting these economic powerhouses.
More than 100 prominent policymakers, industry leaders, and financial representatives from Kazakhstan and the European Union participated in active discussions on the future of Eurasian transport networks with a focus on the Middle Corridor. The primary focus of the conference was the continued development of the TITR, widely known as the Middle Corridor.
Key topics included:
● Infrastructure Modernisation: Upgrading railway, port, and terminal capacities to handle increased freight.
● Digitalisation & Resilience: Implementing digital logistics processes to build secure and resilient supply chains across Eurasia.
● Global Integration: Aligning the Middle Corridor's expansion with the European Union’s Global Gateway initiative to boost transport and digital connectivity between Europe and Central Asia.
The event featured presentations from representatives of the Kazakh government, Members of the European Parliament, the European Commission, and major international financial institutions, including the EBRD and EIB. Underscoring strong private-sector interest, senior executives from leading European logistics and transport corporations, such as DHL Global Forwarding, Alstom, DB Cargo, HHLA International, and A.P. Moller-Maersk, also actively participated in the event.
The conference ultimately reaffirmed the Middle Corridor's growing significance as a reliable, sustainable transport artery linking Europe and Asia, further cementing Kazakhstan's role as a premier regional transit and logistics hub.
The conference was organised by the NGO Kazakhstan-EU Gateway and JSC NC Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ Express), with support from the Kazakh Government and the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Belgium.
Coverage of the Conference in the international media can be viewed in the link below:
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