ASHGABAT (TCA) — The international rally Amul–Hazar 2018 initiated by the Turkmen leader will take place from September 9–14 along the Silk Road route in Turkmenistan. That was announced at a media forum dedicated to the preparations for the international rally held in Ashgabat on August 5, State News Agency of Turkmenistan reported.

Foreign press at the media forum was represented by journalists from Russia, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Romania, China, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Jean-Louis Schlesser, the General Director and organizer of the famous motor rally Africa Eco Race, said that “It is a great honor for me and my team to be co-organizer of the rally, which would run across great Turkmen desert. At first, we thought it would be a complicated and hard task to organize such competition within a short period. However, having started the work with the Turkmen team and inspired by personal example of President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, we have achieved great results as for today.”

The rally will be held from the east to the west of Turkmenistan along the route of the ancient Silk Road. Total distance of the race running across the big desert is more than 1,500 kilometres.

Jean-Louis Schlesser explained that the route is divided into 5 stages and every speed part has a number of surprises for the pilot and navigator. Therefore, Karakum Desert is the heart of the project giving huge experience to true adventurers. Turkmen desert is not that homogeneous as the African one and generously gives unusual impressions, which are able to surprise anybody, as it is a living ecosystem not affected by human activity impact, Schlesser said.

The race will finish in Avaza National tourist zone, located on the Caspian coast.

Organization of International rally Amul–Hazar 2018 will be important for the development of international tourism along the Silk Road in Turkmenistan and in the region in general.

DUSHANBE (TCA) — Commercial flights have resumed between the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, and the Uzbek city of Bukhara amid improving ties between the two Central Asian neighbors, RFE/RL reported.

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ASTANA (TCA) — China’s HKC Corporation Limited’s shareholders visited the Industrial Zone of Kostanay in Kazakhstan and met with the Akim (governor) of Kostanay region Arkhimed Mukhambetov. HKC, one of China’s top five manufacturers of monitors and television sets, intends to build an assembly plant in Kostanay, Kazakh Invest National Company for Investment Support and Promotion reported on August 3.

The volume of planned investments at the initial stage is estimated at $20 million, and the planned capacity of the plant is 3 million units per year.

“The advantage of Kostanay for us is its close location to Russia and other CIS countries. We have big plans for this project and we want to look deep into the matter before launching it,” said the Vice President of the company Li Jin. “Our main goal now is to reach the global level. We have an assembly plant in Holland, which produces 2 million TV sets per year. The plant we are going to build in the CIS will have a capacity of 3 million TV sets per year.”

According to Chinese investors, the project involves creation of 500 jobs. Employees of the future plant will be recruited from among the local population. In addition, HKC Corporation Limited intends to participate in the dual training program for college students in the region.

Governor Mukhambetov supported the idea of launching a plant for production of TV sets in Kostanay and expressed hope for further cooperation. He reminded that a number of joint projects with Chinese companies are already being implemented in Kostanay region. For example, there is a project for production of cars and a comprehensive agro-processing project.

“We offer investors the territory of the industrial zone. We are already implementing 11 projects here. Most importantly, when compared with the Russian Federation, while we have the same rates for corporate tax, which is 20%, our VAT rate is lower than in Russia by 6%. They have 18%, and we have 12%,” said Mukhambetov. “We are ready to cooperate with your company. The market of electronics, where your company is operating, is a free niche in Kazakhstan. Most of electronics in our country, which is about 90%, is imported. Your project will allow to satisfy the demand for electronics not only in our country but in Russia as well. We are open to mutually beneficial cooperation and guarantee all-around support.”

As for the Kostanay’s Industrial Zone, it is almost finished today. Utility networks have been built, and a railway siding and motor roads are under construction.

“A plant for production of tractors and a plant for production of building materials are already being built here, and there is a project with China for deep processing of wheat which will be exported to China. As for HKC, they plan to produce TV sets and computers. I think everything will be set ready very soon, and we may launch the plant in 2019,” said the Deputy Akim of Kostanay region Meirzhan Myrzaliyev.

At the end of the meeting, the parties agreed to create a working group for the project and develop a road map for its implementation.

KABUL (TCA) — A quadrilateral agreement between Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan will be signed in the near future to improve trade relations between the regional countries, the Afghan Minister of Commerce and Industries Humayun Rasa said during his visit to Kazakhstan last Saturday, Afghan broadcaster TOLOnews reported.

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ASTANA (TCA) — Kazakhstan and India are set to increase bilateral trade from the level of $1 billion reached in 2017, as well as expand cooperation in the transport and logistics sector, expanding the potential of the Kazakhstan – Turkmenistan – Iran railway with access to the Indian Ocean. That was said at the meeting of Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov and Foreign Minister of India Sushma Swaraj on August 3 in Astana, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry reported.

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DUSHANBE (TCA) — Authorities in Tajikistan have released the names of five men they say carried out a July 29 attack that left four foreign cyclists dead and three injured, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported.

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