The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) and public-private partnership (PPP) centers of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan are joining forces to implement collaborative cross-border projects.
According to the EDB, the relevant memorandum was signed by Denis Ilin, Vice Chairman of the EDB Management Board; Samat Sagyndykov, Chairman of the Management Board of the Kazakhstan Public-Private Partnership Center; Artyom Volodkin, Executive Director of the National Center for Public-Private Partnerships (Russia); Dmitry Krasovsky, Director of the National Agency of Investment and Privatization (Belarus); Sanzharbek Bolotov, Director of the Public-Private Partnership Center at the National Investment Agency under the President of Kyrgyzstan; and Alisher Faizaliyev, Director of the Center for the Implementation of Public-Private Partnership Projects (Tajikistan).
By signing the memorandum, the participating parties reportedly aim to jointly plan cross-border PPP projects and establish institutional mechanisms to prepare, negotiate, and monitor such initiatives.
As an international financial institution and multilateral development bank, the EDB will finance cross-border PPP projects and development programs.
The Bank intends to provide technical assistance by subsidizing interest rates for cross-border PPP projects, financing the development of feasibility studies and financial models, preparing pre-project documentation, conducting applied research, and providing training to project stakeholders responsible for preparation and implementation.
The EDB’s tasks encompass project and legal advice as well as expert analysis to promote cross-border PPPs.
The EDB has released a study titled “Cross-Border Public-Private Partnerships”. The paper outlines the criteria and scope of cross-border PPP projects, evaluates their potential for fostering cross-border infrastructure development in the EAEU, Central Asia, and the South Caucasus, and suggests guidelines for the successful implementation of cross-border PPPs in the region.
Cross-border infrastructure connects countries and meets the needs for trade in goods and services, the movement of people, and the transmission of electricity and information. With the enhancement and diversification of cross-country and regional economic ties, the development of cross-border infrastructure has become increasingly important, especially to landlocked countries. These infrastructure projects involve two or more countries and necessitate substantial private investment, along with coordination among various stakeholders. Cross-border PPPs emerge as an efficient mechanism for implementing such projects.
The Eurasian Development Bank is an international financial institution investing in Eurasia. For more than eighteen years, the Bank has worked to strengthen and expand economic ties and foster comprehensive development in its member countries – Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. The EDB's charter capital totals US$7 billion. Its portfolio mainly consists of projects with an integration effect in transport infrastructure, digital systems, green energy, agriculture, manufacturing, and mechanical engineering. The Bank’s operations are guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals and ESG principles. The Eurasian Development Bank has observer status in the UN General Assembly.
