TASHKENT

Uzbekistan and Tajikistan agreed to build two hydropower plants on the Zarafshan river on Tajikistan’s territory and signed a raft of agreements to boost trade and economic ties, part of an ongoing effort by Uzbekistan to strengthen ties with the neighbours it once kept at arm’s length.

The two countries plan to set up a joint-stock company to construct two hydropower plants, with a total approximate capacity of 320 megawatts on the Zarafshan River, which runs through both Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

In total, 36 agreements covering cooperation in energy, transport, mining and light industry, science, education, sports were signed in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe during Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s visit to the country. The trip is expected to boost trade and economic cooperation, as well as further strengthen friendly relations between the two neighbours.

Under the rule of Islam Karimov, who had led Uzbekistan since before the Soviet breakup, relations with Tajikistan were strained, largely over  water and cultural issues. The death of Karimov in 2016 marked a change in direction. His successor, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, once a prime minister under Karimov, has made mending ties with his country’s neighbours a top foreign policy priority.

Since 2016, Uzbekistan has been improving relations with all its neighbours in the region by opening borders and promoting economic, trade and cultural relations.

According to Uzbekistan’s Energy Minister Alisher Sultanov, who was quoted by local media, the first projected Yovon hydroelectric power plant is expected to cost $282 million and will have an average capacity of 140 megawatts. The second Fandaryo hydroelectric power plant, with a capacity of 135 megawatts, willcost $270 million, according to Sultanov, who also added that authorities were planning to attract international donor organisations and investors to finance the projects.

Uzbekistan will import the electricity produced by these two plants, he said.

In another sign of improved relationships with its neighbours, Uzbekistan’s government said in May that it reached an agreement with Turkmenistan on the joint management of water resources from the Amu Darya river. Officials described the deal as a “breakthrough”.

The Amu Darya river rises in the Pamir mountains of Tajikistan and flows through countries in Central Asia and Afghanistan.