BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 26. Uzbekistan is actively developing transport links with all of its neighbors, but as a landlocked country, it will have to rely on transit routes through other countries to present itself as viable transit option, Andi Aranitasi, Head of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) office in Uzbekistan told Trend in an exclusive interview.
"Uzbekistan is currently pursuing multimodal transportation (road and rail) from China, through Kyrgyzstan by road, then onwards through the Trans-Afghan route or through Turkmenistan and Iran by road. Other options include the use of Middle Corridor or the Turkmen port of Turkmenbashi," he said.
In this regard, Uzbekistan Railways, the country’s main freight carrier, need to be reformed to improve efficiency, the official said, noting that significant investment will be required to electrify sections of railway in the Fergana Valley, between the key cities of Bukhara and Khiva and elsewhere. The same goes for the rehabilitation of roads across the country. In parallel, Uzbekistan should modernize its rolling stock and improve its customs services to ensure smooth transit and transport.
At the same time, as Aranitasi pointed out, the route through Kazakhstan to its ports on the Caspian Sea seems to be most stable option for cargo travelling through Uzbekistan.
"However, there are multiple inefficiencies at border crossing points between the two countries and bottlenecks in the ports of Aktau and Kuryk. What is more, the Caspian Sea is not always navigable, so the Uzbek authorities are keen to explore alternatives," he explained.
In terms of Uzbekistan-specific plans, the EBRD will be supporting the rehabilitation of the national road network, in particular in the Khorezm region, as well as the expansion of logistic hubs together with private sector partners, the official said.
"The EBRD is facilitating the enhancement of public-private partnership environment via support for the Tashkent-Samarkand road development. Our Bank is also planning to support the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy as part of the post-signing technical assistance under Khorezm regional roads project. We are also exploring potential cooperation with the Uzbek Railways on the reforms agenda, electrification and the railcar fleet upgrades," Aranitasi concluded.