«The growth driver for the economies of Central Asia is the development of regional transit, transport, and logistics potential,» President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov said at the first Central Asia — China summit.
According to him, it can be a great advantage for the countries of the region to form a single geo-economic space in which all forms of economic cooperation and interaction are successfully formed. Joint implementation of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and its integration with the countries’ national development strategies will have a powerful economic effect.
Sadyr Japarov outlined the importance of China — Kyrgyzstan — Uzbekistan railway construction project.
He believes that the project is intended to become an important link in the Belt and Road Initiative. Its implementation will lead the region out of the transport impasse, connect about 4 billion people, expand the geography of transportation from Asia through Turkey to Europe, the Middle East, Iran, the Persian Gulf and North Africa.
«Given the trends of formation of multipolarity, it is important that our region become a geopolitical mediator through which favorable interaction of world centers of influence is carried out. China plays its important positive role, being one of the authoritative and influential world powers with a creative positive agenda. The countries of the region will succeed if they interact as actively developing communities that share and adhere to similar cultural, historical and traditional values and ideas,» Sadyr Japarov stressed.
The President noted that consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, threat of sanctions imposed by individual countries due to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, can and already have a negative impact on the economies of the countries in the region. This requires them to consolidate their efforts to ensure the economic well-being of the peoples, to strengthen security, including food and energy ones.
Among the specific plans that are included in the list of agreements, Sadyr Japarov noted the particular importance of development of a joint strategy for a new economic Central Asia — China dialogue, increasing the interconnection of digital and green infrastructure, creation of a data bank of priority green investment projects; spreading the practice of «express corridor» for customs clearance of agricultural and food products at checkpoints, cooperation in the field of «smart» agriculture, exchange of experience on the introduction of water-saving, green and highly efficient technologies.
