The President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev called an initiative of Xi Jinping, the President of the People’s Republic of China, of creating of Silk Road Economic Belt to be great, the correspondent of INA Kazinform reports.

In the interview to Chinese channel CCTV the Head of the State noted the particular importance of the state visit of Xi Jinping to Kazakhstan in 2013. It was then that the Head of PRC, speaking in “Nazarbayev University”, voiced a global initiative of creating Silk Road Economic Belt.

“Today we can state, that that was a great idea. Since in 2012 – the world had not solved the crisis, all countries struggled with it. In that moment this initiative, this idea was something we had to have. It was given to all countries that took this idea as a help to solve the remains of crisis. This initiative stimulated us to adopt our own program “Nurly Zhol”, since the road to Europe lies through Kazakhstan, Russia and further”, placed emphasis Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Due to implementation of the state program “Nurly Zhol”, Kazakhstan implemented the projects on railway building from Alashankou through Kazakhstan to Europe, a land port “Khorgos” and branch of railway line, that has linked the south of the country to Europe. Kazakhstan finished building of 2700 kilometers long motoring highway “West China – West Kazakhstan”.

“It has already started to operate. We, with “Khorgos”, obtained a permit from People’s Republic of China to create a terminal on the land port Lianyungang on the Pacific Ocean. Now, the carriers of the countries of Southeast Asia, the countries that want to participate [in the initiative], pass through this road to Europe within 12-15 days. Shipping through sea route, as you know, takes 2,5-3 times longer. We have a direct benefit; and number of carriers grows twofold annually. It gives Kazakhstan a benefit to obtain funds, and enterprises are developing along the road of this Belt”, told the Head of the State.

In this, Kazakhstan arranged and completed agreements and contracts on building on its own territory dozens of new enterprises that our country needs.

“Moreover, this road allows making a way to the Caspian Sea. From the Caspian Sea to the south, we linked to the Persian Gulf through Iran – Chinese goods can go through us to the Caucasus Corridor. We created a link between Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, the Caspian Sea and Kazakhstan last year. We built a special land port “Kuryk” through which cargos can move to Europe through the Caucasus, Turkey, and the Bosporus. Such a huge work was conducted within these years, and we see that this was the well-timed and highly farsighted idea, that operates for the benefit of our people”, noted the President of Kazakhstan.