Today, Central Asia's population has surpassed 80 million. The region's Gross Domestic Product is expected to reach $700 billion in the next five years, said Shavkat Mirziyoyev at a meeting being held in Samarkand.
At the same time, our region is increasingly demanding major infrastructure projects. The construction of the “China – Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan” railway, which has already begun, is a clear example of such a major regional infrastructure project.
In addition, issues of food security and water scarcity are becoming particularly acute in Central Asia.
“Uzbekistan has developed its own strategy in this area and has started major projects aimed at saving 15 billion cubic meters of water by increasing water use efficiency by 25 percent over the next five years.
However, solving the water problem requires the joint efforts of all countries in the region and international financial organizations.
Therefore, I propose to establish a regional center in collaboration with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to widely implement water-saving technologies. I believe our neighbors will also support this initiative,”
- said the President.
