Shorter Route, Stronger Ties: Senator Pushes for Qyzylorda-Uzbekistan Road

Senator Nauryzbay Baikadamov has proposed building a 179 km road from the Qyzylorda region to the Uzbekistan border to shorten the route between the regions and enhance trade and connectivity, Orda.kz reports.

Raising the issue in a plenary session, Baikadamov emphasized the economic importance of the project:

With the new phase of economic relations between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the need for this road has become urgent. Residents of the region repeatedly bring up this issue at meetings.

The deputy noted that Central Asian peoples have historically maintained close ties, and the new route can strengthen Kazakh-Uzbek cooperation.

The proposed route, connecting the Western China – Western Europe highway to Kukai, Uzbekistan, would provide direct access to Uchkuduk, cutting the distance by 55 km and reducing the overall route between Qyzylorda and Uchkuduk by nearly 1,000 km.

The project's estimated cost is 125.3 billion tenge, and Baikadamov urged a timely response.

He also highlighted that the new airport in Qyzylorda could further support cargo and passenger transport.

So far, Uzbekistan has not established alternative routes through other countries. If we don't act now, in such a tense time of globalization, we risk losing our positions,  Baikadamov warned.

Original Author: Zhadra Zhulmukhametova