Kazakhstan hosts 13 international transport corridors, spanning eight road and five rail routes connecting China and Southeast Asia with Europe, and Central Asia to the Gulf. At the heart of that network is the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor, which Kazakhstan is developing with China, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey as a strategic alternative for east-west trade. “Our roadmap focuses on removing bottlenecks, and we have made significant progress through large infrastructure projects,” says Vice-Minister of Transport Maksat Kaliakparov. The ministry is also developing a 10-year strategy to establish a national transport framework – reflecting the importance of a sector that already accounts for 6.5% of Kazakhstan’s GDP. Large-scale infrastructure projects in the sector are a driver of industrial development, creating jobs and supporting local production, and have a multiplier effect on wider national growth.…