Albania and Kazakhstan vie for closer ties

TIRANA, May 25 – Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama made a visit to Kazakhstan to meet with top officials there and discuss on how to deepen economic ties between the two countries.
Rama met with his Kazakh counterpart, Karim Massimov, and President Nursultan Nazarbayev, mainly talking on the future of economic relations between the two countries.
One of the major projects discussed was the possibility of developing and investing in a modern rail system, which enables the connection between the Albanian ports and European and Asian rail network.
Massimov stressed the need to sign agreements soon to promote trade and avoid double taxation.
Kazakh investors have an investment volume of $26 billion.
The two countries signed a bilateral agreement of understanding to deepen cooperation.
During Rama’s and the Albanian delegation’s meetings, Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister Behxhet Pacolli was also present. Pacolli has close ties with the Kazakh government due to previous business projects in the central Asian country.
The talks also focused on investments in tourism, energy and transport infrastructure with a special part paid to the investment in the oil and gas industry.
A proposed rail project is set as an important element for economic the development of Albania and Kosovo. Under the proposal, a network of railways will link Europe and Asia passing through Kosovo and ending in Shengjin port in Albania.
Kazakhstan seeks to restore the primacy of the old Silk Road connecting Asia with Europe and has projects for major global corridor also passes through the Western Balkans, something that would significantly increase the economic exchange and be considered an important link for the continent too.