Baku, Azerbaijan, May 31
By Fakhri Vakilov – Trend:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) proposed to create a new economic corridor between the cities of Shymkent (Kazakhstan) - Tashkent (Uzbekistan) - Khujand (Tajikistan) and adjacent areas, Trend reports with reference to Uzbek media.
Analysts of the bank state that this can expand regional dynamism and contribute to economic integration in the region.
"The cities of Shymkent, Tashkent and Khujand and the adjacent Turkestan, Tashkent and Sogd regions are considered as a potential economic corridor within the Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) program. Three cities and adjacent regions are within easy access to each other and there is a relatively large population living there, about 15 percent of the entire population of Central Asia,” the ADB said.
They are also strategically linked to international markets. Shymkent is located at the international crossroads of Europe-East Asia, the Russian Federation-Middle East and South Asia, and Tashkent and Khujand are tourist centers.
"Three cities and adjacent areas have a level of economic complementarity, especially in the field of agriculture and food. There is also easy cross-border labor mobility between them, which is facilitated by close historical, cultural, ethnic and linguistic ties between the three countries," the Bank noted.
"The development of a regional economic corridor is becoming increasingly important in the CAREC region. Moreover, the economic recovery, openness of Uzbekistan and the strengthening of ties between neighboring countries, particularly with Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, add a new impetus to the development of regional economic corridors," representatives of the Asian Bank stated.
ADB experts believe that Uzbekistan, thanks to the development of a cross-border economic corridor, can further improve infrastructure connectivity, connect with Russia, China and other countries of Central Asia, improve economic integration with the rest of the region, and further integrate into regional and global value chains.
The project is designed for three years and was developed in response to a request from CAREC member countries to explore the possibility of developing a new potential economic corridor to create opportunities for business development and employment.
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