President of Kazakhstan Qasym-Jomart Toqaev met with Tobias Bartz, Chairman of the Board of the Rhenus Group, to discuss the development of partnership in the transport and logistics sector and joint infrastructure projects, infohub.kz reports.
The head of state noted that the German company has for many years helped strengthen Kazakhstan's transport connectivity. He stressed the country's ambition to become one of the continent's key logistics centers.
Special attention at the talks was given to the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. Toqaev proposed joining efforts to build a competitive route featuring modern ports, terminals, railways and digital services. He also backed Rhenus's participation in a multimodal hub project at the port of Aktau.
Tobias Bartz, for his part, said he sees considerable potential in Kazakhstan as a transport and logistics hub and confirmed the company's interest in taking part in joint projects.
Following the meeting, the two sides agreed to expand cooperation.
Background: The Rhenus Group is a German logistics company headquartered in Holzwickede and founded in 1912. It has more than 1,100 locations worldwide, employs around 39,000–41,000 people and generates annual revenue of up to 8.2 billion euros. Rhenus operates in contract logistics, freight forwarding, port services and public transport. In particular, the company has long been IKEA's main logistics partner and has delivered major warehousing projects in Germany and the Netherlands, including logistics centers equipped with solar panels and geothermal heating.