How did the conflict in Ukraine affect Central Asia?

The chief editor of LogiStan, Grigory Mikhailov, told ‘Kursiv Uzbekistan’ about how the conflict in Ukraine has influenced Central Asia, this is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Answers to ‘Kursiv’s’ questions in the author’s version:

– The countries of Central Asia have benefited from the events of the last two years. Significant volumes of capital and goods that previously flowed to and through Russia were redirected, with some now going through Central Asia.

Large-scale changes in geopolitics and logistics have allowed Central Asian countries, especially Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, to derive considerable benefit.

Countries in the region have dealt with the opportunity differently, depending on the activity of their leadership, economic conditions, and geographical location.

Uzbekistan, perhaps, has benefited the most. Thanks to President Mirziyoyev’s activity and accumulated potential, the country has managed to attract significant foreign investments over the past two years, launch several major projects, modernize part of its transportation infrastructure, improve logistics, and work on border crossings…

The fruits of this work will be seen in the coming years.

However, it’s too early to relax. Uzbekistan faces a large volume of work internally and further geopolitical shocks to which it will need to adapt.

Transit of dual-use goods through Uzbekistan continues, but the volumes are small. The main routes for such shipments in Russia pass through other places.

“The sanctioned Uzbek companies” are a media fabrication; the US and EU are not risking imposing sanctions on genuinely large companies in Central Asia. Only organizations that are easily shut down and replaced by 10 new ones have made it onto sanction lists.

I would like to note that the role of transit for sanctioned goods in the Uzbek economy is exaggerated. The main effect came from the influx of investments, launching several major projects, and overall economic modernization.

The concluding text: https://uz.kursiv.media/2024-02-24/kak-povliyala-vojna-rossii-i-ukrainy-na-uzbekistan/

Source: Logistan

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