BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 3. The implementation of the Almaty-Bishkek Economic Corridor (ABEC) is progressing smoothly, a source at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) told Trend.
The source elaborated that ABEC, which began its implementation ten years ago after a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between representatives from Kazakhstan’s Almaty and Kyrgyzstan’s Bishkek during the Ministerial Conference of Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program (CAREC) in Bishkek in 2014, saw its first supported project approved in September 2022.
According to the bank, several accomplishments were made in this initiative in 2023. Based on the air quality sensors installed in Almaty and Bishkek, ADB prepared Clean Air Action Plans for both cities.
Other agencies have used the data for analytical reports, and the World Bank (WB) has approved a $50 million project to improve the air quality in Bishkek.
“We have completed the ABEC Accommodation Classification System and have prepared background studies for the ABEC Regional Improvement of Border Service Project (RIBS) and Almaty-Issyk-Kul projects,” the source said.
Looking ahead to 2024, the ADB has outlined plans for two regional projects in Kyrgyzstan: the ABEC RIBS and the Issyk-Kul Environmental Management and Sustainable Tourism Project.
ABEC serves as a pilot economic corridor under the CAREC Program. ABEC has been working to connect people, businesses, and ideas since 2014, aiming to reduce the economic distance between the cities of Almaty and Bishkek.