I have to admit, I wasn’t always excited about Central Asia. The region’s economy is no bigger than Singapore’s, but spread over a land mass the size of Europe. It has oil, but mostly concentrated in Kazakhstan. It’s also land-locked without easy access to ports. For an economist, it isn’t a compelling story.
But that was before I spoke with Umberto De Pretto. We met at last month’s Fikr conference in Kuwait, while speaking on a panel on Arab economic integration.
De Pretto is the Deputy Secretary General of the International Road Transport Union. He naturally spends much of his time thinking about the future of road transport. He is also genuinely excited about Central Asia, and believes that the region might yet resurrect its role as a trade link between China and Europe.
After listening to what he had to say, I can only agree.
