Kazakhstan's trade
turnover with the SCO member states increased by 20 percent in the past year,
reaching $61 billion. Over the course of more than 20 years, intra-regional
trade among the SCO member states has seen nearly a 100-fold increase. It is
important to continue strengthening and expanding trade and economic ties.
Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov emphasized this during the 22nd meeting
of the Council of Heads of Government of the SCO member states in Bishkek.
“E-commerce is
becoming one of the promising directions. Estimates suggest that the total
revenue from online sales in the SCO countries could reach around $1.5 trillion
this year. We should make every effort to support e-commerce, primarily through
streamlining customs procedures. To this end, we propose holding a dedicated
meeting of customs authority leaders from SCO member states. Kazakhstan
actively participates in the implementation of the global Chinese Belt and Road
initiative. We are interested in boosting goods transit and the successful
operation of the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway,” said Smailov.
The establishment
of a comprehensive transport network, including strategic ports and logistics
centers, will give an impetus to cooperation. Smailov proposed to develop new approaches
taking into account the international routes already available in the region.
Another important factor for mutually beneficial cooperation is staying current
with modern trends. Thus, it is necessary to accelerate the transition of the
economies of SCO countries to a new level of technological development. He
invited participants to take part in the Digital Almaty Forum in February next
year, which will also focus on establishing a digital hub within the SCO
region.
