President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has put forward an initiative to establish, in cooperation with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a Regional Center for the widespread introduction of water-saving technologies in Central Asia.

"I believe our neighbors will also support this initiative," he said during his speech at the ninth meeting of the AIIB Board of Governors, which kicked off in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on September 25, reports Asia-Plus’s correspondent.

Mirziyoyev noted that the population of Central Asia has exceeded 80 million people.

"It is expected that in the next five years, the region's gross domestic product will reach 700 billion dollars," he said.

At the same time, the President of Uzbekistan emphasized that the demand for large infrastructure projects is growing daily in Central Asia.  Moreover, issues of food security and water resource shortages are becoming particularly acute in the region.

"Uzbekistan has developed its own strategy in this direction and has begun implementing major projects to save 15 billion cubic meters of water by increasing water use efficiency by 25% over the next five years," Mirziyoyev said.

However, he added that addressing the water issue requires joint efforts from all countries in the region and international financial organizations.

The two-day meeting of the AIIB Board of Governors in Samarkand is concluding today.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral development bank and international financial institution that aims to collectively improve economic and social outcomes in Asia.  It is the world's second largest multi-lateral development institution.  Headquartered in Beijing, China, the Bank currently has 109 members, including 13 prospective members from around the world.  The Bank started operation after the agreement entered into force on December 25, 2015, after ratifications were received from 10 member states holding a total number of 50% of the initial subscriptions of the Authorized Capital Stock.