Kazakhstan's Mazhilis Ratifies Border Amendments with Uzbekistan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The Mazhilis, the lower house of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, officially ratified a protocol introducing amendments and additions to the bilateral agreement with Uzbekistan regarding checkpoints across the interstate border, dated 4 September 2006. The plenary session was chaired by Speaker Yerlan Koshanov.

Minister of Transport Nurlan Sauranbayev presented the regulatory document to the lawmakers. The adopted amendments are aimed at modernizing border infrastructure and creating favorable conditions for participants in external economic activities between the two countries.

According to the new regulations, the Syrdarya–Malik and Tselinny–Ok Oltin border checkpoints will change their status from bilateral to international (multilateral), which will allow citizens and vehicles of third countries to cross the border. In addition, their operating hours will shift from daylight-only to a 24-hour format.

Under the new rules, the Syrdarya–Malik checkpoint will permit the movement of passenger cars and empty trucks, while the Tselinny–Ok Oltin checkpoint will additionally handle the flow of oversized and heavy cargo. Nurtay Sabilyanov, Chairman of the Mazhilis Committee on Economic Reform and Regional Development, emphasized that these measures will significantly increase the total capacity of transport corridors and strengthen the transit potential of the region.

During the session, the deputies also agreed to the Senate's amendments to the environmental law aimed at reducing the share of carbon units reserved by the state as part of the global response to climate change.

At the conclusion of the session, Speaker Yerlan Koshanov summarized the work of the fourth session of the eighth convocation. He noted that during this period, the members of the Mazhilis held 40 plenary sessions, considered 334 issues, and adopted a number of key constitutional and sectoral laws aimed at building a digital state, implementing a new economic policy, and strengthening social support for citizens.