China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project not postponed – Kyrgyz media

Deputy Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Bakyt Torobaev, in a conversation with Kabar, denied reports about the postponement of the railway construction project from China to Uzbekistan through the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic.

The official noted that recently a number of media outlets published unconfirmed reports about the alleged suspension of work on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project. According to him, this information is not true.

“As part of my recent project visit to China, I met with relevant parties and held negotiations. The information that the construction of the railway has been postponed indefinitely does not correspond to the truth,” Torobaev said.

He also indicated that the issue of choosing a model for financing the construction of the railway is currently being discussed. The project is of great importance for the economy of Kyrgyzstan, the Deputy Prime Minister added and urged not to publish information from unreliable sources.

A few days ago, Silk Road Briefing, citing several transport experts, announced the suspension of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project. The reason, according to them, was allegedly the lack of agreements on payment for work.

Secretary General of the International Coordination Council for Trans-Eurasian Transport Gennady Bessonov said that Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan do not have the funds to pay for the project. “The PRC can build the branch on its own, but does not consider this project a priority,” he said.