150 guests from the worlds of politics, business, and diplomacy accepted the invitation to Parliament—a new platform aims to strengthen investment and trade between Austria and Kazakhstan. / Picture: © AKCP / Ben LeitnerIn light of global geopolitical shifts and the search for new, resilient trade routes, Central Asia is increasingly becoming a focus for the European economy. Against this backdrop, a new initiative was officially launched at the “Kelsen” restaurant in the Austrian Parliament: the Austrian-Kazakh Connectivity Platform (AKCP). Kazakhstan as a Key Market on the “Middle Corridor”Kazakhstan is considered the undisputed economic powerhouse of Central Asia and is a strategic partner of paramount importance to the European Union. In particular, the so-called “Middle Corridor” (the Trans-Caspian transport route connecting China and Central Asia directly to Europe via the Caucasus) is rapidly gaining in importance.