Tajikistan to become full-fledged WTO member in mid-2013; Asian Development bank to provide a US$ 150 million loan to Uzbekistan in order to modernize the energy supply to Ferghana valley; Kazakhstan and Czech Republic sign deals worth US$ 25 million; Kor
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    • According to reports, after 12 years of negotiations, Tajikistan is in line to become WTO’s members by the middle of next year. 1

    In another development, reports noted that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide Uzbekistan with a $150 million loan to modernize energy supply to its Ferghana Valley districts. The funds will be used to construct the Namangan substation and two autotransformers. The bank will also finance the building of a high-voltage power line between Angren and Namangan which will cover 108 miles. Construction is expected to be finished in 2015. 2

    According to reports, as part of Kazakhstan President’s official visit to Prague, firms of the two countries have signed deals worth US$ 250 million as part of President Nazarbayev’s decision to increase bilateral trade by at least 25 per cent. 3

    Reports noted that Korean firm Posco Engineering & Construction (Posco E&C) has been awarded a $640 million contract to build a new town in Kazakhstan. The project is part of the larger G4 New Town Development Project, which aims to create four new towns in total, stretching north from Almaty to Lake Kapchagay. 4

    In other developments, according to reports, Uzbekistan has secured a US$ 220M loan from China’s development bank to modernize the Tashkent thermal power plant. 5

    Separately, the five Central Asian countries, grouped in the Doing Business 2013 report with their fellow ex-Soviet republics in Eastern Europe, overtook East Asia and the Pacific region last year as the world’s second most business-friendly region. 6

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