The quota of bilateral, transit and third-country road freight transport permits between Bulgaria and Kazakhstan will be doubled in 2026. The agreement was reached by the Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications, Dimitar Nedyalkov, and the Deputy Minister of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Maksat Kaliakparov, during the Joint Bulgarian – Kazakh Commission on Road Transport. The meeting took place on 29–30 October 2025 in Astana, Kazakhstan.
“Bulgaria and Kazakhstan have considerable potential for developing transport connectivity, particularly through active participation in the initiatives of the Trans – Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) – the so-called Middle Corridor. This strategic route is of key importance for links between Europe and Asia,” stated Deputy Minister Dimitar Nedyalkov. According to him, strengthening relations between the two countries sends a positive signal for improving the business environment and investment conditions.
“The previous session of the Joint Commission was held in 2012. After 13 years, we have resumed the dialogue and plan to hold the next session in Bulgaria in 2026,” Nedyalkov added.
During the meeting, the two sides also agreed to organise a pilot road convoy of freight vehicles from China through Kazakhstan to Bulgaria. The aim is to test the route under real conditions in order to identify possible difficulties and “bottlenecks” and take the necessary measures to overcome them. At the same time, opportunities for establishing logistics centres in Bulgaria will be explored to serve the distribution of goods to other European countries.
At the end of the session, a bilateral protocol was signed, formalising the agreements reached and outlining the next steps in the cooperation between Bulgaria and Kazakhstan.
