Recently, the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan ratified an agreement between the government of China, the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, and the government of Uzbekistan on cooperation in jointly promoting the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project.
Political analysts and economic experts from Central Asian countries have called the signing of this document in Beijing the main event of the first decade of June, noting that for various reasons, the coordination process has been delayed for 25 years.
Initially, Russia opposed the implementation of this project, arguing that the Northern Corridor through Russia or the Middle Corridor through Kazakhstan and the Caucasus countries would lose their significance with the advent of this railway.
However, Russia's position has now changed. Temur Umarov, an employee of the Berlin Carnegie Center, shared his assumptions as to why, reports 24.kg. The expert reminded that the current agreement exists solely between the three states, and regarding Russian participation, the Kremlin understands that there are processes beyond Russia's control.
"In other words, Russia cannot lobby for or against this. The construction of the railway is one such process. Considering how close Moscow's relations are with Bishkek, Tashkent, and Beijing, I do not think there are any significant contradictions that would displease Moscow at this moment. Moreover, Russia is currently in a rather unfavorable position. Its negotiating position is quite weak. And even if it openly disliked such projects, it has no opportunity to express this directly to its partners because it has nothing substantial to offer," noted Temur Umarov.
He added that the primary focus is on Beijing, and of course, Tashkent.
Uzbekistan has long sought the construction of this railway and cannot wait for a go-ahead from other countries, including Russia. That's why the overall situation in the region has changed, and Moscow's negotiating position is insufficiently strong, says Temur Umarov.
It has already been announced that for the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, the Kyrgyz authorities intend to take a loan from Chinese banks. The total project cost is $4.7 billion. Half of this amount will be provided by Chinese banks to a joint venture that will handle the construction, and the remaining half will be equally divided among the project participants. It is expected that Kyrgyzstan will take its share of $783 million as a loan from Chinese banks.
It was also reported that 31 years after the railway's launch, it will be fully transferred to Kyrgyzstan. According to preliminary estimates, the construction will be completed six years after it begins.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
June 21, 2024