Experts consider that introduction of the ‘Silk visa’, objective of which is like the Schengen visa but for Central Asia’s nations, will promote and boost tourist flow into the region.
Tengrinews.kz reports the chairperson of Kazakhstan’s Senate Committee for International Relations, Defense and Security, Dariga Nazarbayeva, has proposed to create the “Asian Schengen.”
During a meeting with delegation of Uzbek MPs that took place in Saryagash, the administrative center of Saryagash District in Turkistan Region of central Kazakhstan, on June 5, Dariga Nazarbayeva reportedly proposed to introduce the ‘Silk visa’ for Central Asia’s nations.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Dariga Nazarbayeva, in particular, noted, “It is very important to develop tourism so that we could know well and trust each other. We noted that it is necessary to promote development of Kazakh and Uzbek tourism and boost tourist flow into the region.”
Meanwhile, Uzbek news online agency Khalk Suzi says Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have begun officially discussing introduction of the ‘Silk visa’.
The Committee of International Affairs, Relations, Foreign Economic Ties, Tourism and Foreign Investment of the Senate (Uzbekistan’s upper house of parliament) reportedly notes that Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have also shown interest in that issue.
The head of the Association of Political Scientists of Tajikistan, Abdughani Mamadazimov, has pointed to the necessity of introducing such a visa for the Central Asian nations.
According to him, time has come to introduce the single multifunctional visa for the Central Asian region so that foreign citizens could travel to one or more of the Central Asian nations. It is necessary to introduce this visa step by step, Tajik expert noted.
