Kazakhstan continues to seek imports of petrochemical products, including from Iran, despite its own investment in domestic production, according to Iran’s commercial attaché in the country.Speaking at a webinar on petrochemical trade challenges between the two countries, Nasrin Pabarja outlined Kazakhstan’s market structure and said demand remains for Iranian products.She noted that Kazakhstan, one of Central Asia’s largest economies with vast oil and gas reserves, is aiming to become a regional player in petrochemical production and exports by attracting investment and joint ventures.Its geographic position and access to Eurasian Economic Union markets, along with proximity to China and Russia, support that ambition, she said.Based on Iranian customs data, exports to Kazakhstan in the first four months of the year included about $6 million in petrochemical products, $3 million in mining and mineral industries, $22 million in industrial goods, and $23 million in agricultural commodities, Pabarja said.She added that while Kazakhstan has launched multiple petrochemical projects in recent years, its output has not met domestic demand, leading to continued imports from Russia, Saudi Arabia and Iran.Kazakhstan’s petrochemical market structure is divided into three main categories: polymers and plastics, basic chemicals, and high value-added downstream products, she explained.Despite projects such as polyethylene production, demand for these products in industries remains high, making them among the country’s top imports, she added.Pabarja also highlighted Kazakhstan’s potential to act as a re-export hub for Iranian petrochemical products to other Central Asian countries and China.“Although Kazakhstan is a consumer market, its geographic and logistical advantages could turn it into a platform for re-exporting Iranian goods,” she said.The session also reviewed challenges in Iran-Kazakhstan trade and explored the export advantages of both countries in the petrochemical sector.Earlier this month, Pabarja had referred to the volume of trade between the two countries, and reported an increase in exports compared to imports from Iran to Kazakhstan in the first three months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-June 21), as compared to the same period of time in the past year.Pointing to Kazakhstan's suitable ranking on the list of target countries for Iranian exports, she stated: "In the first quarter of this year, over $53 million worth of goods, weighing more than 96,000 tons, were exported from Iran to Kazakhstan, while during this period, $9 million worth of goods, weighing 28,0000 tons, were imported from Kazakhstan into Iran.According to Iran's Commercial Attaché in Kazakhstan, the main goods included sunflower seeds, corn, barley, and livestock products.She noted that the two countries have preserved their cultural and historical commonalities, adding: "Iran and Kazakhstan are neighbors via the Caspian Sea and, alongside maritime trade, enjoy a favorable situation in road and rail connections."Pabarja stated: "400 export goods and 19 import goods in the trade basket of Iran and Kazakhstan indicate the superiority in the diversity of export products over import items. For instance, $23 million worth of agricultural products, $22 million from the industrial sector, $5 million from petrochemical products, and over $3 million from the mining and mineral industries were exported to Kazakhstan."In early August, Iran’s Minister of Transport and Urban Development Farzaneh Sadegh and Kazakhstan’s Minister of Transport Nurlan Sauranbayev have agreed to strengthen transportation cooperation and jointly draft a roadmap focused on boosting transit through the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC).The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries in Awaza, Turkmenistan, where both ministers stressed the need for infrastructure coordination and swift implementation of earlier multilateral agreements signed between Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan.Sadegh called for accelerated execution of the eastern branch of the INSTC, emphasizing Kazakhstan’s central role.She also proposed a comprehensive five-year agreement covering all modes of transport, a suggestion welcomed by the Kazakh side.The two sides reviewed opportunities to enhance multimodal connectivity, including rail, road, maritime, and air transport. (ICE TEHERAN)

Fonte notizia: Tehran Times