BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 27. The UK's bilateral relationships with the countries of Central Asia have strengthened consistently and show great potential for the future, Kenan Poleo, His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Region and British Consul General, Istanbul, told TurkicWorld in an exclusive interview.

"Central Asia stands out as a highly dynamic and ambitious region, with great opportunities for further business links. Since last year, trade volume between the UK and Central Asia have seen a steady increase and reached approximately 2.5 billion pounds in 2023," he said.

According to Poleo, the UK has an ambition to help its businesses double their exports and boost total global exports to be worth over 1 trillion pounds a year by 2030.

"Central Asia, with its fast-growing and diversifying economies, presents substantial opportunities for UK exporters and has a vital role to play in helping us reach our exporting ambition. Promoting greater trade and business cooperation benefits both the UK and local business in Central Asia, and I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish in the future," the official noted.

Regarding the support for renewable energy field in the region, the trade commissioner pointed out that UK has world leading expertise in clean energy, and is always open to cooperating on the utilization of new, innovative and green technologies in the energy sector.

"Central Asia has a combined population of 70 million. So it is no surprise that clean renewable energy initiatives are generating exciting new business opportunities. There are some great projects already underway across the region, and UK businesses are using their expertise to support the transition to cleaner and greener new technologies," he said.

As such, in Kazakhstan, Genesis, one of the UK’s market-leading consulting companies, was contracted by Svevind for one of the largest green hydrogen projects not just in Kazakhstan, but on a global scale.

Meanwhile, in, Uzbekistan, the Government has announced its power sector masterplan to 2030, committing to increase clean energy for the country. "Mott MacDonald was the lead consultant and technical advisor for delivery of the masterplan. Additionally, UK firm Worley is the Project Management Consultant for a 1.5 GW wind farm being developed in Uzbekistan," he pointed out.

"We are keen to do more in the region, supporting energy goals to a cleaner, greener future," the official noted.

Further speaking, Poleo added that UK mining technology is revolutionizing the global industry and tackling issues from mining waste to biodiversity protection in innovative ways that are better for the planet.

"Also, the demand for critical raw materials is growing fast as governments and businesses act to reach net-zero emissions. The UK is at the forefront of geological surveying and critical minerals mapping. Helping locate the minerals the world needs, to deliver on our climate goals, in the most efficient way possible," he said.

Meanwhile, in September, the British Geological Survey and Kazakhstan’s National Geological Survey signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate in the field of geology.

"This promising cooperation will help couple BGS’s nearly 200 years of expertise with the commitment and ambition of the National Geological Survey of Kazakhstan. The scope of work will include exchange of experience and expertise in applying advanced technology in geology, geological databases and maps. In Central Asia, Kazakhstan has huge potential, we have the expertise, together we can accomplish so much in this space and MOU is a great step towards further cooperation," the official explained.

He further went on, adding that the UK is committed to increasing trade and energy cooperation with Central Asian countries, including via sustainable transport links.

In this regard, the 'Middle Corridor' project can assist in boosting trade sustainability by improving connectivity from the Kazakh/Chinese border to the entire region via Türkiye and beyond, he said.

As Poleo noted, the UK has been actively collaborating with countries across Central Asia to help boost their cleaner renewable energy capacity and work in this regard is gathering pace.

"A good example for this is the UK government has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on "Strategic Partnership on Low Carbon Hydrogen" with Kazakhstan, which will help share best practice on low carbon hydrogen technologies, as well as energy market transition," the official noted.

According to Poleo, the Global Methane Pledge launched in at COP26 in Glasgow has 150 participants agreeing to take voluntary action to global methane emissions by at least 30 percent, from 2020 levels, by 2030. As COP28 approaches, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan has a huge opportunity to cut methane emissions.

Additionally, the UK is taking clear and practical to help boost business connections in the green energy space, the official pointed out.

"This was demonstrated only recently, when my team in Kazakhstan led a senior delegation of Kazakh businesses to Aberdeen, one of the most impressive clean energy hubs in the UK. We see this as a brilliant opportunity for HMG and other partners to both facilitate investment in infrastructure, and support political agreement," he concluded.