Japan and five Central Asian countries have agreed to develop a transport route to Europe bypassing Russia to ensure stable supplies of critical minerals and energy resources.
According to Kyodo News, as reported by Ukrinform, Japan held its first summit with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan amid efforts by Russia and China to expand their trade and economic influence in this resource-rich region.
The participating countries adopted the Tokyo Declaration, which calls for decarbonization, logistics facilitation and cooperation on human resource development.
The Caspian Sea route is expected to ensure stable supplies of critical minerals, including rare metals, as well as energy resources such as oil and natural gas.
“The international situation has changed drastically, and the region’s importance is growing as a trade route connecting Asia and Europe,” Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said at the outset of the meeting.
She told reporters that Japan plans to launch new business projects worth a total of 3 trillion yen ($19 billion) in Central Asia over five years, and that the countries also agreed to cooperate on artificial intelligence.
“Central Asia has great significance and potential in terms of geopolitical importance, economic security and mutually beneficial business opportunities. I’m glad that more than 150 public- and private-sector documents were signed on this occasion,” the Japanese Prime Minister added.
Read also: Japan to provide Ukraine with USD 6B in financial support – Zelensky
As reported by Ukrinform, at the end of November, unmanned boats completely disabled the mooring facility of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) Marine Terminal in Novorossiysk, halting oil shipments.
Following another strike by Ukraine’s Defense Forces on Novorossiysk during the night of November 29, Kazakhstan began urgently seeking ways to redirect its oil exports.
In December, Kazakhstan plans for the first time to supply 50,000 tons of oil directly from the Kashagan field to China.
Photo: Pool photo/Kyodo
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