UNIPATH STAFF
In a move that could help build stability in Central Asia, Kazakhstan is preparing to expand the capacity of its Aktau seaport.
Enlarging the port will initially help support the International Security Assistance Force-Afghanistan’s drawdown, but could later serve as a transit hub on the New Silk Road, an effort to create trading links between Central Asia, Afghanistan and other regional partners.
At a meeting with the Heart of Eurasia group in April 2013, President Nursultan Nazarbayev spoke about increasing the port’s transit capacity on the Caspian Sea. It is part of his country’s continuing effort to support Afghanistan stability, he said.
The port was built under Soviet rule in the 1960s to support the uranium and oil industries. It has supported ISAF since 2009, helping move nonlethal supplies into Afghanistan.
Sources: Aktau Port, Eurasianet.org, The Jamestown Foundation