HÀ NÔI — Việt Nam will be an important ’highway’ to transport goods from ASEAN countries to Kazakhstan and European countries.

It was one of potentials for Việt Nam pointed out by Kanat Alpysbayev – the vice-president of Logistics of Kazakhstan Railways at a business forum about transport co-operation among Việt Nam, Kazakhstan, and Eurasian Economic Union held yesterday afternoon in Hà Nội.

The potential came after Việt Nam and other member states of the Eurasian Economic Union, including Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, officially signed the Việt Nam – Eurasian Economic Union Free Trade Agreement in Kazakhstan last May.

Kanat said Kazakhstan recommended Việt Nam to pilot of carrying goods via railway from Việt Nam to China, Kazakhstan and European countries in the coming time.

Kazakhstan’s railway sector would support Việt Nam and other member states under the agreement to ensure smooth circulation of goods among the countries, he said.

Phan Quốc Anh, deputy general director of Việt Nam Railways talked with local media on the sideline of the forum that the demand of goods transporting among the countries would largely increase following the agreement.

Therefore, the domestic railway sector should take advantage of the opportunity. Competitiveness of the railway sector is safe and on-time delivery. It could carry heavy goods with favourable customs procedures, Anh said.

Kazakh Ambassador to Việt Nam Beketzhan Zhumakhanov said Kazakhstan scheduled to soon send a team to visit northern mountainous Lào Cai Province to assess the transport infrastructure and the transporting potential there.

Speaking at the forum, deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Hoàng Quốc Vượng said that transport co-operation among Việt Nam and member states of the Eurasian Economic Union played a key role to the effectiveness of the agreement’s implementation.

“So, a smooth-transnational transporting route is really necessary,” he said. — VNS