At a press conference on Wednesday dedicated to the Sea Breeze Uzbekistan project on the Charvak reservoir, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Aziz Abdukhakimov said that the ministry had not yet received official documents on the project.
“To be honest, we are only being told all this unofficially, verbally. That is why we asked them to bring over the documents. When the documents are there, then we, the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Water Management, the relevant inspectorates, the Center for Environmental Expertise, and all other relevant ministries and departments — will be able to express our comments or suggestions,” Abdukhakimov said.
The minister emphasized that it was premature to refuse to implement the initiative without studying its substance.
According to him, if the project is presented officially, it will be presented for wide public discussion.
“When it arrives, we will, of course, post it for public discussion — let everyone read it. No one is going to hide it, sign it secretly, after nightfall. "I think there are no such people in the country," Abdukhakimov said.
He also commented on the invitation of the businessman Emin Agalarov to Uzbekistan.
"He did not come and say: "I will build on the shore of Charvak." On the contrary, he was actually invited to Uzbekistan because he is experienced, because he has already implemented construction projects that meet environmental standards. He does not have any great desire - he has thousands of proposals," the minister noted.
According to him, other countries in the region and Europe are also showing interest in his projects.
"Now, as someone has probably heard, he is being invited to Kyrgyzstan, he has proposals from Kazakhstan, he is implementing large projects in Turkey, and is now going to Montenegro," he said.
In conclusion, the minister called on the public to refrain from premature assessments.
"Let's first look at the proposal itself before saying "no." Let them first present the project, let's see what exactly is being proposed. “Saying ‘no’ without even seeing it is, in my opinion, unreasonable,” emphasized Aziz Abdukhakimov.
In December last year, Azerbaijani entrepreneur Emin Agalarov presented the project for an all-season resort Sea Breeze Uzbekistan to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. He then noted that the center on a territory of 500-700 hectares would host recreation areas, beaches, sports grounds, hotels, cottages and residential complexes, as well as shops, restaurants, schools, a water park, and recreation parks.
The Sea Breeze Uzbekistan project has sparked active discussions in society. Activists are concerned about possible restrictions on access to water, increased pressure on infrastructure, threats to the reservoir’s ecological balance, and lack of transparency.
