BISHKEK, November 24 (RIA Novosti, Yuliya Orlova) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) plans to allocate $952 million for cooperation projects in the Central Asian republics, a senior ADB official said Thursday.
The Manila-based bank, which was established to battle poverty in the Asia-Pacific region, will provide $943 million for 16 major projects and $9 million in 13 technical aid projects under a new regional cooperation strategy within the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program, an ADB-supported initiative to encourage economic cooperation in Central Asia.
The official said transportation, energy, and trade would remain the top priority issues of the 2006-2008 program within CAREC, which comprises Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
