Uzbekistan has called for greater participation by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in cross-border infrastructure projects, stronger project preparation and increased mobilization of private capital, as Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov participated in the bank’s Annual Meeting in Qatar.
Kudratov addressed a Governors’ Roundtable focused on the further development of AIIB’s activities. The discussions covered the bank’s role in infrastructure financing and approaches to increasing the impact of projects supported across member countries. Over its first decade of operations, AIIB has expanded to 111 member countries and established an institutional and financial framework for its activities. At the next stage, Uzbekistan emphasized the need to focus on the practical impact of bank-financed initiatives and their contribution to sustainable development.
One of the priorities raised by the Uzbek side was improving the quality of project preparation. Developing technical, financial and organizational parameters at an early stage was identified as a way to accelerate subsequent implementation, improve the use of financing and create conditions for attracting additional capital. In this context, Uzbekistan emphasized the importance of expanding AIIB support during the development stage of prospective projects, before they move into implementation.
Source: MIIT
Regional connectivity was another focus of the discussions. Uzbekistan called for broader AIIB participation in cross-border transport, energy and water infrastructure projects.
Uzbekistan’s authorities say that, such projects can support trade, strengthen economic links and contribute to greater integration between countries and regions. The proposals therefore envisage a larger role for AIIB in financing infrastructure that extends beyond individual national markets. Uzbekistan also called for greater mobilization of private capital for infrastructure development. The discussions highlighted the need to increase AIIB’s non-sovereign financing and use the bank’s resources to implement projects in partnership with private investors.
The approach is intended to broaden the sources of infrastructure investment rather than relying exclusively on public financing. Greater participation by private investors was presented alongside stronger project preparation as one of the priorities for expanding the scale of investment. Another area discussed was AIIB’s presence in individual regions. Uzbekistan proposed closer engagement between the bank and its partner countries as infrastructure projects become more complex and investment portfolios expand.
A stronger regional presence was identified as a way to improve the responsiveness of cooperation and provide more direct support during the preparation and implementation of projects. Uzbekistan also reaffirmed its intention to continue cooperation with AIIB and its “Infrastructure for Tomorrow” strategic mission.
The proposals outlined at the Annual Meeting focused on improving early-stage project preparation, expanding cross-border transport, energy and water infrastructure, increasing private-sector participation in financing and strengthening AIIB’s engagement with member countries.
