Photo: Bolatbek Aliyev’s Facebook page
On January 1, the fee for Kazakhstani trucks entering Uzbekistan increased to $300 per vehicle. This decision sparked outrage from Kazakh parliamentarian Bolatbek Aliyev.
He pointed out an «obvious imbalance» in the transit relations between the two countries. «Uzbek carriers can use 2,100 kilometers of Kazakhstani roads, while Kazakhstani carriers have access to only 600 kilometers of Uzbek highways. Surprisingly, both sides view this as parity,» he stated on his Facebook page.
According to Aliyev, Uzbekistan’s transit traffic through Kazakhstan is significantly higher than the reverse situation. «For us, Uzbekistan is essentially a dead-end country for road carriers in terms of transit potential. For Uzbekistan, however, Kazakhstan is the road of life,» he concluded.
The parliamentarian suggested that Kazakhstan should impose a higher tariff on trucks that do not meet the Euro-4 emissions standard.
It’s worth noting that since January 1, Uzbekistan also raised fees for Turkmen carriers while eliminating fees for trucks from Iran.
