The President of the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mihai Daraban, met with Kilybai Nurdaulet, the Governor of Mangystau region in Kazakhstan, on October 7. The meeting marked the signing of an economic cooperation agreement between Constanța County and the Mangystau region.
This partnership aims to strengthen economic ties between Romania and Kazakhstan by making it easier for Kazakh investors and other Central Asian businesspeople to access the Port of Constanța.
Mihai Daraban highlighted the importance of this collaboration: “Constanța County hosts the largest Kazakh investment in Romania, made by KazMunayGas company, which demonstrates the confidence that our partners from Central Asia have in this region’s potential. Constanța represents a model of economic complexity, with diversified activities across all sectors, and at this moment, logistics routes are a strategic priority. The Port of Constanța has all the prerequisites to become a major regional hub, benefiting from an essential competitive advantage: it is both a maritime and river port, thanks to its connection with the Danube-Black Sea Canal. This unique infrastructure allows direct access for landlocked countries, transforming Constanța into a natural gateway to Europe. The East-West Corridor represents the key to developing our relations with Kazakhstan, offering this country rapid and efficient access to the Black Sea. In this regard, we have received an extremely important invitation from representatives of the Mangystau Region: they are willing to include the Romanian side in the negotiations they are conducting with China for the development of port infrastructure in the region. This openness comes as recognition of the high-quality expertise of port operators from Constanța and opens extraordinary opportunities for trilateral cooperation,” stated Mr. Daraban.
The agreement is expected to boost trade connections and infrastructure development among Romania, Kazakhstan, and potentially China.