BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. Uzbekistan has the potential to be a key partner in Central Asia for Europe, Ambassador of the European Union to Uzbekistan Toivo Klaar told Trend.
"On transport Uzbekistan has the potential to be a key partner in Central Asia for Europe through the construction of new road and rail infrastructure, which we are supporting," the ambassador noted.
He recalled that, within initiatives aimed at developing transport infrastructure in Central Asia, the EU and Uzbekistan agreed to attract financing from the European Investment Bank of up to 100 million euros, backed by an EU guarantee of six million euros, for the implementation of the Nukus highway development project.
"The upgrade of the A380 highway, one of the country’s main transport arteries, is expected to strengthen regional trade and streamline transport flows with neighboring states within a modernized, expanded, and strengthened TCTC transport network that will link Central Asia with the South Caucasus, Türkiye and Europe," Klaar emphasized.
In addition, he said that the EU, together with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, will finance a pre-feasibility study on the construction of a motor road and a railroad linking Uchkuduk in central Uzbekistan with Kyzylorda in the south of central Kazakhstan.
"Once implemented, these infrastructure projects will significantly increase transport, logistics, and economic and trade options of the Central Asian region and Uzbekistan first of all. We hope that Uzbekistan will actively participate in and own these development projects to benefit from the increased number of geoeconomic options that will arise as a consequence," he added.
The Nukus highway development project is part of the larger initiative to modernize the A380 "Guzar-Bukhara-Nukus-Beyneu" highway, a key segment of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Corridor 2 trade route in Uzbekistan. Supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the project aims to reconstruct and widen highway sections using climate-resilient materials, enhance connectivity to European markets, improve transportation safety and efficiency with Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and weigh-in-motion (WIM) systems, and promote economic growth by reducing travel time and operational costs while increasing transit freight volume and service facilities along the road.