Uzbekistan International Affairs - The Times Of Central Asia

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Boom in Uzbekistan’s International Flights

In the first half of 2024, Uzbekistan's airports processed 53,300 flights of which 16, 300 were domestic and 36,900 international; an increase of 37% compared to the same period last year, according to a report by Uzbekistan Airports' press service. From January to June, Uzbek airports served 6 million 369,384 thousand passengers on domestic flights, 1 million 263,304 thousand passengers on domestic flights, and 5 million 106,80 thousand passengers on international flights; an increase of 36% compared to the first quarter of 2023. In the first half of the year, 40.7 tons of cargo and mail were transported, 18% more than last year. Today, Uzbek airports provide passenger services on 84 routes. The 15% increase is attributed to the addition of new air carriers and the simultaneous launch of several new routes. Uzbekistan Airports currently cooperates with 45 airlines.

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New Projects Launched in Uzbekistan’s Fergana Region

On July 11, Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended a ceremony to launch several new projects in the country’s Fergana region. The first was the second phase of the construction of a mineral fertilizer plant by Singaporean company Indorama. The president then launched the construction of a solar power plant; a $350 million joint project with the German company Hyper Partners. Located in the Besharyk district of Fergana, the plant has a capacity of 500 megawatts of which 200 megawatts will come online this year . When fully operational in 2025, it will generate 1.6 billion kilowatt-hours of green energy per year, equivalent to the annual consumption of 675 thousand households. This increase in green energy will save 466 million cubic meters of natural gas. In addition, Mirziyoyev celebrated the start of construction on a $144 million electricity storage system by the Chinese Gezhouba Group. With a capacity of 150 megawatts and the means to automatically turn on when electricity demand increases to ensure stable operation of the power grid, the facility should be operational before the end of this year Lastly, the president launched two small hydroelectric power plants; one with a capacity of 2.2 megawatts in the village of Shakhimardan, and the other, with a capacity of 430 kilowatts, in the village of Yukori Vodil. During his speech, President Mirziyoyev noted that the volume of investments in the Fergana region is growing year on year. In 2018, only $90 million was invested in the region, while the figure for last year reached $1.3 billion. The number of enterprises financed with foreign capital currently totals 470. Around one hundred projects worth $370 million have been implemented in the Kokand free economic zone alone, creating 9 thousand new jobs. According to a presidential decree, this economic zone will expand by 210 hectares around the city of Kuvasay, house 185 new projects worth $1 billion, and create 12,000 jobs. In addition, a special Uzbek-Chinese industrial zone spanning 230 hectares will be created in Kokand.

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Uzbekistan and Afghanistan Discuss Railroad Projects and Freight Traffic

During a visit to Tashkent by a delegation from Afghanistan, representatives of the Uzbek and Afghan governments discussed reducing fees and duties for cargo carriers. A transit agreement between Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan was also discussed. During the visit, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan extended the contract to reconstruct the Khairaton-Mazar-e-Sharif railroad line for another six months. They also discussed technical studies for the Trans-Afghan railroad project, and scholarships for training Afghan railroaders in Uzbekistan. The reconstruction of the Hairaton-Mazar-e-Sharif railroad started in February this year. In parallel with the work on the branch line, reconstruction works are underway in park "B" of Hairaton station. Uzbekistan's First Deputy Transport Minister, Mamanbiy Omarov, said earlier that freight traffic along the transport corridor between the countries had increased 1.5 times over the past two years. Uzbekistan has provided several privileges for road and rail transportation. Omarov said the Afghan government will soon introduce equal payments for cargoes from Uzbekistan. He emphasized that transit transportation should develop bilaterally and be mutually beneficial.

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Expansion of Japanese Investment in Uzbekistan

On July 9, Uzbekistan president Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting in Tashkent with a Japanese delegation including Tadashi Maeda, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), and a representative of the Sojitz Corporation. Agreements were reached on the adoption of a three-year cooperation program with JBIC, as well as a roadmap with Sojitz Corporation for the implementation of potential projects in high-tech sectors of Uzbekistan’s economy. The Uzbek leader noted JBIC’s significant role in the implementation of investment projects in the country which today, includes a portfolio of joint initiatives worth over $3.7 billion in petrochemical and textile industries, energy, and infrastructure modernization. The president also expressed his deep appreciation of Sojitz’s implementation of projects in the country’s oil and gas sector. The Japanese company confirmed its intention to expand business activities in Uzbekistan, including, based on an agreement signed in 2022, the Syrdarya II IPP project, destined to become one of the largest power generation facilities in Uzbekistan. The Sojitz Corporation also announced its opening of a liaison office in Tashkent through which it aims to strengthen existing business as well as develop new business while striving to address regional needs across Central Asia.

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Uzbekistan Offered Opportunity to Invest in Gas and Oil in Afghanistan

Afghanistan has offered Uzbekistan the opportunity to invest in oil, gas, and copper deposits in the provinces of Ghazni and Herat, and to create mineral processing plants. Nuriddin Azizi, the acting Afghan Minister of Industry and Trade, has proposed a meeting with Bobir Islamov, the Uzbek Minister of Mines and Geology. "Islamov reacted positively to the idea of an agreement on mutual support for investment between the two countries. He noted that two large copper processing plants are already under construction in Uzbekistan, which need to receive raw materials," reports state. It was also noted that following the talks, the parties agreed that a delegation from Uzbekistan would visit Afghanistan to conduct research and technical work.

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Paving the Path Westward: Insights from the Astana and Shusha Summits

The informal OTS summit in Shusha, hosted at the invitation of Ilham Aliyev, centered on the theme of "Building a Sustainable Future through Transportation, Connectivity and Climate Action." Attendees included Presidents Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, Ersin Tatar of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, and OTS Secretary General Kubanychbek Omuraliev. In place of Erdoğan, who was in Germany supporting the Turkish national soccer team ahead of a crucial Euro 2024 quarter-final against the Netherlands, Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz attended. Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov was also absent due to hosting UN Secretary-General António Guterres in Ashgabat. Notably, the Shusha summit occurred just two days after the meeting of SCO leaders in Astana, which drew an exceptional amount of attention from international observers due to the participation of the Russian and Chinese leaders. The intrigue surrounding the SCO summit was linked to its closed session, attended only by the Shanghai Ten. At the summit, only the speech delivered by Tokayev was made available to the press. Speeches made in the subsequent SCO+ format sessions were made public, wherein Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping underscored the need for a multi-polar world, suggesting that the SCO members had discussed shifting away from Western cooperation towards the Global South. At the Shusha summit Aliyev highlighted Azerbaijan's commitment to strengthening ties within the Turkic world, emphasizing the importance of the political, economic, and military consolidation of Turkic States as a global power center. Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan has consistently sought to unite the Turkic world and enhance its influence on the global stage, stressing that the OTS should seek to emerge as a significant global power. "We cover a large geographical space and positive demographic dynamics are observed in the member countries. Our greatest assets are our rich natural resources, modern infrastructure for their delivery, transportation corridors connecting Central Asia and the Caucasus with Mediterranean and Black Sea ports, and our rich and ancient history and culture. The commitment of our people to traditional values and ethnic commonality closely unites our countries. The 21st century should become the century of prosperity of the Turkic world," the Azerbaijani leader emphasized. Aliyev also addressed the primary tasks which lie ahead for the OTS, referencing the Astana Declaration of the SCO, which designates Central Asian republics as the organization's foundation. Leaders of these republics who attended the summit in Shusha, Tokayev, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and Sadyr Japarov, endorsed Aliyev's call for the expansion of the East-West transport corridor connecting Central Asia and Eurasia to Europe. Aliyev further highlighted the Digital Silk Road project, which aims to establish a fiber-optic telecommunication route between Europe and Asia via the Caspian Sea through Azerbaijan. Furthermore, when the President of Kazakhstan delivered his speech, he stressed the significance of the Trans-Caspian International Transportation Route. "The potential of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route should be fully utilized. Today, the volume of container transportation along this corridor has...