By Emre Aytekin
BEIJING (AA) - China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan on Thursday signed an agreement on a railway project planned to be built as part of the Belt and Road Initiative.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the leaders of the three countries sent video messages to the signing ceremony held in Beijing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said the railway is a strategic project for the connectivity of China and Central Asia and a landmark construction for Belt and Road cooperation among the three countries.
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov said the railway will be a new transport line linking Asia to Europe as well as the Persian Gulf countries, which is significant for the connectivity and the strengthening of economic and trade exchanges between countries along the route and even the whole region.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said the railway will also open up big markets in South Asia and the Middle East, boosting cooperation among regional countries and China.
*Writing by Gozde Bayar