Central Asian countries demonstrate steady interest in attracting Russian enterprises. Modern Russian technologies and equipment are also in demand in the region, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
“There is a sustained interest in the neighboring Central Asian countries to bring in Russian enterprises to stimulate business activity, which also helps deepen economic integration in line with agreements reached at the level of presidents and heads of governments,” Lavrov said at a meeting of the Business Council under the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Lavrov emphasized that Russia remains one of the leading trade and economic partners of Central Asian states. “Our total trade turnover with them exceeds $45 billion annually. Around 24,000 companies with Russian capital operate in Central Asia, joint projects are being implemented, the share of settlements in national currencies is growing, and transport-logistics infrastructure is improving,” he added.
According to the minister, partners welcome the expansion of Russian participation in infrastructure projects. A significant boost to this is provided by using resources from the Eurasian Development Bank and corresponding programs of the Eurasian Economic Commission.
At the same time, Lavrov noted that a substantial part of the material and technical base of Central Asian states was built during Soviet times. “But that was long ago, and of course, the service life of this infrastructure is quite extended, often exceeding industry standards. Therefore, modern Russian technologies and equipment are highly sought after in the region. When I say Russian, I mean that we must compete in this market, which is attracting increasing interest from investors from other regions— from the West and Asia. Hence, quality and the ability to promote our developments are becoming especially important,” Lavrov stressed.
Successful Cooperation
The minister cited numerous examples of successful cooperation, including the development of the eastern branch of the North-South international transport corridor and the participation of the state corporation Rosatom in forming a regional nuclear cluster. Russian companies have also made significant progress in mineral resource development, construction of industrial and energy facilities, and provision of digital services.
“Energy, logistics, mining, processing industry, and digitalization are considered the most promising sectors in terms of expected investment returns and real development within Central Asian states. Given current trends developing rapidly in the global economy, science, and technology, special attention is paid to the extraction and processing of critical raw materials and the development and implementation of artificial intelligence technologies,” Lavrov said.
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Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS