The airport at Navoi is being converted into a primary inter-continental cargo transportation hub for Korean Air and other carriers, with state-of-the-art facilities set to open that will link air, railway, and road cargo distribution systems. At the same time, the Navoi Free Industrial Economic Zone (FIEZ) that was created by presidential decree in December 2008 has gone from being an idea on paper to becoming the foundation for a working industrial zone.

Both projects have great potential to spur economic development and are important components in strengthening commercial ties and expanding the transportation infrastructure that connects the nations of Central Asia with South Asia, Europe and the Far East.

“The US, South Korea and Uzbekistan share a common interest in promoting economic development and regional stability among all the states of Central Asia including Afghanistan,” said Ambassador Norland when asked why he wanted to visit the airport and FIEZ in Navoi. “By working together, the three countries multiply their efforts and create new synergies that we hope will benefit the region and all parties concerned.”

On 21 April, the two ambassadors visited the airport, where they met with representatives from Korean Air, which has been managing the airport since January 2009. There the ambassadors saw the newly expanded runway and upgraded control tower, along with the new freighter apron, fueling facilities and cargo terminal set to open in May.

The new cargo terminal will be able to handle up to 10 fully-loaded Boeing 747 freighters a day, according to information prepared by Korean Air and Uzbekistan Airways. The terminal includes loading areas for trucks and a railway line, making the facility a transit center for cargo being transported throughout the region.

“I was struck by how rapidly the vision of a transcontinental air cargo hub is taking shape – the new cargo terminal at Navoi Airport seems to have sprouted up overnight since my last visit only a few months ago,” Norland said.

The facilities are designed to turn the Navoi airport into a hub for cargo transport throughout Asia and Europe. Since 2009, the airport’s network has expanded to include flights to Bangkok, New Delhi, Mumbai, and Frankfurt. A map shows that the airport is within four hours of Dubai, Moscow, and major cities in India, and about six hours from major cities in Europe, making the Navoi hub far closer to those commercial areas than Korean Air’s main cargo hub at Incheon International Airport near Seoul.

After the airport visit, the two ambassadors joined Naim Niyazov, the head of the Navoi office of the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, Investment, and Trade, for a tour of the Navoi FIEZ, an ambitious project to attract foreign investment through tax incentives, simplified customs procedures, and relaxed foreign-labor requirements.

When Ambassador Norland first visited in May 2009, the FIEZ was still mostly an empty space where workers had recently installed gas and water lines. On this visit, the newly built Uzbekneftegaz plant was producing polyethylene pipes, and construction was underway on six other factories. About 20 companies have signed up to do business in the FIEZ.

A subsidiary of US-based General Motors has committed to investing in the FIEZ, and Norland said he sees that as a hopeful sign that other American investors will take greater interest in the months ahead.

“As always, American investors will want to be sure that the investment climate lends itself to success –and I believe over the long term, such a view is justified,” he said.

Ambassador Stephens and Ambassador Norland also visited the petro glyphs at Sarmysh Gorge outside Navoi, as well as Samarkand, Bukhara, and the mountains near Tashkent during Stephens’ stay in Uzbekistan. She met with Korean business leaders in Uzbekistan, representatives of the Korean Embassy and officials from Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs during her visit.