The deputies of the Mazhilis have approved a bill for the establishment of the International Center for Industrial Cooperation "Central Asia," reports a correspondent from the business information center Kapital.kz.
"This is an important step in developing bilateral cooperation between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan," said the Minister of Trade and Integration, Arman Shakkaliev, during a plenary session in the Mazhilis.
The center will be constructed near the checkpoints "Atameken" and "Gulistan," and will include production areas, warehouses, and transportation infrastructure.
"This will expedite freight transportation and reduce logistics costs. Additionally, we will be able to shorten the number of participants in the supply chain and decrease the final product cost for consumers," the minister stated.
The total area of the center will be 100 hectares, with 50 hectares allocated for each country.
"A designated area will receive the status of a regional industrial zone. The infrastructure will be developed using off-budget funds," clarified Arman Shakkaliev.
According to the Minister of Trade, the Akimat of the Turkestan region has already conducted an open competition and selected the main investor to develop the project documentation for the center. Construction is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2026, with the official opening scheduled for the first half of 2027.
"The center will contribute to the creation of new jobs, the processing of agricultural and industrial products, as well as the development of sectors such as machine engineering, metalworking, and pharmaceuticals," concluded Arman Shakkaliev.
It is worth noting that on November 9, 2023, in Tashkent, the Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan, Arman Shakkaliev, and the Minister of Investments, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan, Laziz Kudratov, signed an agreement regulating the activities of the International Center for Industrial Cooperation "Central Asia." In February 2024, it became known that the center would be constructed by the Kazakh investor LLP "TCL gr." It was also reported that Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan intend to implement 74 joint projects with an investment volume of $3.4 billion and the creation of 14,600 jobs, of which 65 enterprises are planned to be established in the territory of Kazakhstan.