«We see great potential of Central Asia for further regional integration,» the World Bank Managing Director of Operations Axel van Trotsenburg said at the Bishkek Economic Forum.
According to him, in today’s world conditions, it is important to focus on short-term activities, but not to forget about long-term ones. It is important to involve the private sector, since the state cannot do this on its own.
«The number of people who need jobs is large, and this will be done by the private sector. We need to build a dialogue in order to understand the potential and use it,» said Axel van Trotsenburg.
He noted that Kyrgyzstan is a young country. If jobs are not created there, then people will leave.
«Yes, of course, you have money transfers, but is this what you are striving for, is it the right model? How, then, to stimulate children so that they succeed?» the representative of the World Bank said.
Last year, $250 million were set aside in the fund of the World Bank Fund to finance projects in Kyrgyzstan.
«Usually we look to see if we can allocate some more funding. Now we see a problem in the developing countries that they cannot take advantage of the potential of integration. We see great potential for regional integration in order to use energy resources and transport potential. I think it can be put into practice. Today we must devote time to these issues and see how we can work in this direction. People don’t just want to hear some words, we need to move towards rapid implementation and creating a future for young people,» Axel van Trotsenburg concluded.
