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Kazakhstan, U.S. to ink "open sky" agreement

1 February 2019 17:40 (UTC+04:00)
Kazakhstan, U.S. to ink "open sky" agreement

By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Kazakhstan is completing the procedure for agreeing on the text of the intergovernmental agreement on air traffic, which is planned to be signed with the American side in the near future, according to the committee of civil aviation of the Kazakh Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development.

The contract will be based on the "open sky" principle, that is, it will provide an opportunity for its participants to fly over each other's territories.

"Bilateral negotiations between the aviation authorities of Kazakhstan and the U.S. took place in Washington in September 2018. The signing of the agreement will create the legal basis for the opening of direct flights between the two countries," the committee said.

As previously reported, the first direct flight should take place from Kazakhstan to New York in 2020. It is planned that trans-Atlantic flights will be operated by Air Astana. To do this, the airline has acquired the appropriate new aircraft.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev instructed the Kazakh airlines to set the goal of expanding flights, including to the U.S. and Japan at an enlarged meeting of the government on January 30.

The head of state called on the government to provide support, since such flights may at first be unprofitable.

Diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and U.S. were established on December 26, 1991.

Chevron and ExxonMobil entered the Kazakhstan market in 1993, becoming the first major oil companies to invest in a new independent country.

Kazakhstan initiated a short-term visa-free entry program for U.S. citizens in 2015, and the U.S. began issuing 10-year business and tourist visas to citizens of Kazakhstan. These visa regimes have contributed to the growth of travel to both countries, opening up new opportunities for business, investment and tourism.

U.S. President Donald Trump received the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, at the White House on January 16, 2018. The visit strengthened close commercial and trade relations between Kazakhstan and the United States, which will help create new jobs and boost economic growth in both countries.

Nazarbayev noted that these efforts are important for Kazakhstan to achieve its goal of joining the top 30 most developed global economies of the world by 2050.

During the visit, a number of commercial contracts and documents were concluded, including new agreements between Boeing, GETransportation, GEDigital, Chevron, Air Astana, KTZ, SCAT and Samruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund for the purchase of American products and services worth more than $2.5 billion.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

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