DUSHANBE, October 29, 2010, Asia-Plus — The Dushanbe-Kyrgyz border highway, which is part of a much larger scheme that is changing the way Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan do business, will help Tajikistan become a major crossroads for international trade and commerce.
According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s Tajikistan resident Mission, Mr. Juan Miranda, Director General of the ADB Central and West Asia Department, remarked this ahead the Central Asian Regional Cooperation Program (CAREC)’s 9th Ministerial Conference that will take place in Cebu, the Philippines from October 31 to November 2.
The completed stretches of the highway are already halving the journey along one of Central Asia’s most significant trade routes, a key corridor that connects Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan with China and beyond, Mr. Miranda noted.
In practical terms this means that the goods people buy and trade in Tajikistan are moving more quickly from source to destination, crossing borders more efficiently and reaching consumers at a better price—and with better quality and selection—than ever before.
The stretch of road is one more vital component of a huge trade, transport and energy partnership known as the Central Asian Regional Cooperation Program, or CAREC.
For consumers in Tajikistan, CAREC brings better highways to carry goods from farm to supermarket. For businesses it means a transport network to help turn Tajikistan’s abundant resources into higher value goods and services. And for people everywhere it means the opportunity to reap and enjoy the benefits of Tajikistan’s strategic location, the ADB official stressed.
He said CAREC was slated to expand and modernize Tajikistan’s electricity transmission system, which would help increase energy trading with neighbors, including Afghanistan. Construction of two new 220-kilovolt transmission lines totaling 140 kilometers, and the restoration of substations along the way will be complemented with reforms of Barqi Tojik power holding, Miranda noted.
According to the ADB, since its inception, the regional group can boast more than $13 billon in CAREC-associated investments in Central Asia’s energy, trade and transportation sectors, accomplishments that include some 2,600 kilometers of road building and improvements; almost 2,000 kilometers of railway track; upgrading of ports and priority border crossings; and improvements in energy security, efficiency and distribution through the region.
Founded in 1997, CAREC is made up of eight countries—Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan—and six multilateral institutions, including the Asian Development Bank.
CAREC provides the finance and ideas that are accelerating economic growth and improving living standards across Central Asia. It is building trust and closer cooperation among neighbors and developing a seamless network of six transport corridors that connect CAREC countries to one another and to the booming markets of East and South Asia, Europe, and the Russian Federation.
