Kazakhstan’s lawmakers approved an agreement allowing the United States to use two of the nation’s Caspian Sea ports as transit points for shipping nonmilitary material to Afghanistan. By gaining access to the ports of Aktau and Kuryk, the United States will gain an additional option in circumventing Russia, which has previously also provided transit options for NATO supplies to Afghanistan, EurasiaNet reported. Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Kairat Adrakhmanov on Wednesday repeatedly stressed the nonmilitary nature of the goods to be delivered through the route, which will run from Azerbaijan, across the Caspian Sea, to eastern Kazakhstan before entering Uzbekistan, which has railway links with northern Afghanistan., EurasiaNet reported. According to the report, Adrakhmanov said a transit deal has been in place between Kazakhstan and the United States since 2010 and that more than 700 containers of goods have been delivered over that period. Pakistan has regularly provided the easiest route but recently, alternatives have been sought due to ongoing problems with Pakistan. Source: TOLOnews Photo: UT Libraries