During his trip to the Central Asian states of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, Foreign Minister Michael Linhart emphasised the expansion of bilateral economic relations. As part of the ReFocus Austria initiative, the Foreign Minister was accompanied by a large trade delegation and participated in several meetings with local businesspeople. With ReFocus Austria, the Foreign Ministry is supporting Austrian companies abroad and promoting the federal government’s “Comeback Plan”.
On 5 November 2021, the Austrian-Kyrgyz Economic Forum was held in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek. In addition, Foreign Minister Michael Linhart took part in the first EU-Central Asia Economic Forum, where he spoke about the shift toward a sustainable, ecological economy and highlighted the expertise of Austrian companies in this area.
I am proud that many Austrian companies are world leaders in the areas of green technology, renewable energy, and energy efficiency. Several of them have accompanied me on my visit to this region. Many have been long-time, reliable partners for Central Asia in the areas of hydropower and other renewable energy projects,
said Foreign Minister Michael Linhart.
During his trip, Michael Linhart took the opportunity to see the work of these Austrian companies for himself. On 6 November 2021, the Foreign Minister visited the Nurek embankment dam, located approximately 50 kilometres from the Tajik capital of Dushanbe. It is currently the largest mountain dam in the world, and is being retrofitted and upgraded as a showcase project by Austrian technology company Andritz.
On 8 November 2021, Michael Linhart opened the Uzbek-Austrian Economic Forum in Tashkent in order to strengthen bilateral trade relations. Uzbekistan is one of the most promising markets in Central Asia, and multiple Austrian companies are now active there. There was also an economic event on the last stop of his trip in Turkmenistan – at the Turkmen foreign ministry’s Business Roundtable, Michael Linhart discussed strengthening trade between Turkmenistan and Austria.
In the meetings with my Central Asian counterparts and the representatives of Austrian companies who accompanied me on this trip, we agreed that there is enormous economic potential in Central Asia. We will do everything in our power to stabilise the region through economic growth, by stimulating the Austrian export motor,
Foreign Minister Michael Linhart concluded.
