The construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway will take "our region out of the transport impasse." This was announced at the Tashkent Investment Forum on April 27 by the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers/Chief of Presidential Administration of Kyrgyzstan Akylbek Zhaparov.
According to him, the implementation of the strategic project will also "connect about four billion people, expand the geography of transportation from Asia through Turkey to Europe, the Middle East, Iran, the Persian Gulf and North Africa."
He noted that the Tashkent Investment Forum took place "as a solid international discussion platform and has a great future."
“This is not a figure of speech, and since it is becoming more and more obvious that in conditions when all systems of the usual world order begin to fail, it will be possible to keep our regional “boat” afloat only if we maintain a general balance and follow a single, agreed course. I won’t be mistaken if I say that it has never been so difficult for analysts to make their forecasts as they are today,” he said.
Akylbek Zhaparov underscored that the world community was witnessing a shift in the "global economic center of gravity."
“By 2050, perhaps even earlier, emerging economies will have economies twice the size of the G-7 countries combined. We can see that the world is moving towards fragmentation into regional and sub-regional economic blocs. Moreover, they will have economic weight and global authority. We can also observe the gradual division of the world into different financial and economic systems,” he said.
In his speech, the chairman of the Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers also outlined the "competitive advantages" of Central Asia.
“We see our region as a single geo-economic space in which all forms of economic cooperation and interaction are successfully formed. Moreover, all components of this system mutually complement and reinforce each other. Here, an important condition is the provision of four "freedoms": the movement of people, goods, services and capital. There is a lot of work, but everything can be done if there is goodwill,” he said.
“We see our region as a geopolitical intermediary through which international politics and centers of influence of countries located in the East, West, North and South interact. We see our region as actively interacting and dynamically developing communities that share and support similar cultural, historical and traditional values and ideas,” said Akylbek Zhaparov.
In 2022, an agreement was signed between Uzbekistan, China and Kyrgyzstan on the development of a feasibility study for a section of the Torugart - Arpa - Kosh-Dobo - Makmal - Jalal-Abad route with a length of 280 km. A feasibility study for the railway construction project is planned to be prepared by June 1, 2023. The design institute of China will develop the feasibility study. By the end of January, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan were to discuss the form and procedure for managing the project.
