Kazakhstan allows using its territory for Great Britain to transit its cargoes from Afghanistan

©REUTERS/HO Old

Kazakhstan has ratified the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Government of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on transit of Great Britain’s cargoes and special cargoes from Afghanistan in connection with participation of British Armed Forces in the efforts to stabilize and restore Afghanistan, Tengrinews reports citing the presidential administration.

The agreement signed by President Nazarbayev on September 19 defines the procedure for permit-based transit of the cargoes and special cargoes without accompanying British personnel. It is called to support the international efforts to ensure security, stabilization and restoration of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

Kazakhstan has a right to refuse issuing a permit for any particular transit shipment of the cargoes and special cargoes or terminate an issued transit permit if it finds that the shipment violates the Agreement or poses a threat to the national security of Kazakhstan.

The transit will be performed solely for the purpose of this Agreement in accordance with the legislation of Kazakhstan and on the basis of the permits issued by an authorized body in Kazakhstan. Whereas Britain is supposed to comply with the Kazakh legislation and not interfere in the internal affairs of Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan has ratified the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Government of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on transit of Great Britain’s cargoes and special cargoes from Afghanistan in connection with participation of British Armed Forces in the efforts to stabilize and restore Afghanistan, Tengrinews reports citing the presidential administration.

The agreement signed by President Nazarbayev on September 19 defines the procedure for permit-based transit of the cargoes and special cargoes without accompanying British personnel. It is called to support the international efforts to ensure security, stabilization and restoration of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

Kazakhstan has a right to refuse issuing a permit for any particular transit shipment of the cargoes and special cargoes or terminate an issued transit permit if it finds that the shipment violates the Agreement or poses a threat to the national security of Kazakhstan.

The transit will be performed solely for the purpose of this Agreement in accordance with the legislation of Kazakhstan and on the basis of the permits issued by an authorized body in Kazakhstan. Whereas Britain is supposed to comply with the Kazakh legislation and not interfere in the internal affairs of Kazakhstan.

It was not specified whether Great Britain will be paying Kazakhstan for the transit under the new agreement. But under the previous agreement that covered transit of British military cargoes and personnel via Kazakhstan signed in May 2013, Britain was paying the Central Asian country 300-400 thousand a year.

Kazakhstan has similar agreements with Germany, Finland and Spain, and they are all pay-based depending on the number of flights the countries make over Kazakhstan.

Writing by Dinara Urazova, editing by Tatyana Kuzmina

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