Kazakhstan ready to support increased transit of Russian gas to Uzbekistan

Kazakhstan is prepared to facilitate an increase in the volume of Russian natural gas transported to Uzbekistan, Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said.

Speaking to journalists, Akkenzhenov stated that Kazakhstan has the necessary capacity to handle higher transit volumes, with the main factor being the availability of transport infrastructure, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

“On the Kazakh side, everything is ready for this,” he said, adding that Russia is currently holding separate negotiations with Uzbekistan regarding the potential expansion of gas supplies.

“As a transit country, we are ready to facilitate the transit,” Akkenzhenov noted.

According to the minister, discussions are underway on increasing gas transit volumes to approximately 11 billion cubic metres annually.

The comments come after Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that Moscow is continuing talks with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on expanding gas transportation infrastructure and boosting supplies to the region.

By Sabina Mammadli