Prime ministers of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan launch construction of cooperation center

On the border between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, near the checkpoints Zhibek Zholy and Gisht Kuprik, the construction of the Central Asia International Center for Trade and Economic Cooperation began today. It was launched by the prime ministers of the two countries, Askar Mamin and Abdulla Aripov, - they took part in the ceremony of laying the capsule at the site of the future centre.

The total area of the center will be 400 hectares, and its capacity will be 35 000 people and 5 000 trucks per day in both directions.

It is expected that Central Asia ICTEC will become a large industrial, trade and logistics platform for the implementation of joint investment projects of the two republics.

"The most promising areas of industrial cooperation are the processing sector, agro-industrial complex and light industry," the press service of the government of Kazakhstan noted, Sputnik Uzbekistan reports.

It is expected that Central Asia ICTEC will become a large industrial, trade and logistics platform for the implementation of joint investment projects of the two republics.

The governments of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are going to ensure that the level of trade between the countries reaches $ 10 bln, and the new project will help achieve this goal, Askar Mamin said at the ceremony.

The Kazakh side also expressed interest in opening three wholesale distribution centres in the Surkhandarya and Fergana regions of Uzbekistan with a total investment of $ 22.5 mln and a transhipment capacity of 67 000 tons per year. They could form a single commodity distribution system between the republics.

During the talks, the heads of government of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan discussed the implementation of joint projects in the automotive industry, processing of agricultural products, as well as the construction of a high-speed railway Turkestan-Shymkent-Tashkent.

Following the talks, Mamin and Aripov signed an action plan for organizing the activities of Central Asia ICTPP, as well as a protocol on joint actions to develop railway transport.

Source - vestnikkavkaza.net