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The Japanese government will provide additional economic support to Central Asia, The Japan Times reports. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to formally announce the aid package at the Japan-Central Asia summit. The event, attended by leaders of Central Asian countries, is scheduled to take place in Kazakhstan.

The agenda of the meeting is expected to include a discussion of a trans-Caspian shipping route connecting Central Asia with Europe: on this front, Tokyo intends to provide “non-material assistance,” for example, by developing digital technologies for customs clearance.

Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan will also receive support for decarbonization. Japanese companies are ready to provide technologies and loans for natural gas processing and other types of support.

According to Japanese media reports, Kishida will offer Japan's support in producing high-value-added export goods, such as hydrogen and fertilizers made from natural gas.

Before this, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien spoke about plans to develop new trade routes for Central Asian countries. At a hearing in the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, the official said that the Central Asian countries are "incredibly rich." To enable them to enter international markets, Washington proposes creating a new trade route, the land part of which will pass through the territories of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The European Union has recently confirmed its interest in developing the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. This was stated on August 1 by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu following talks in Astana with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

At the beginning of this year, the EU promised to allocate 10 billion euros in loans to support this route.

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Photo: japan.kantei.go.jp