A St. Petersburg district will appear in Tashkent

The government of St. Petersburg and the administration of Tashkent plan to build the «St. Petersburg Quarter» in New Tashkent. The project will begin within a year. The idea of cooperation with St. Petersburg was proposed by Shavkat Mirziyoyev during talks with Vladimir Putin. Initially, the discussion was about one street, but now both sides intend to build an entire district.

This was reported by the newspaper «Kommersant.»

A draft memorandum of intent between the government of St. Petersburg, the Tashkent administration, and the New Tashkent construction directorate was published on the website of the St. Petersburg government in the section on anti-corruption expertise. According to the document, the parties «aim to contribute to the development of bilateral relations, taking into account mutual interest in deepening and expanding cooperation.» It is planned that Tashkent and St. Petersburg will equally participate in the preparation and implementation of the district project in the new region of Uzbekistan.

Within one year of signing the document, the parties must discuss construction plans and agree on a unified project concept. Then, the directorate under the Uzbek Cabinet of Ministers will review the project and coordinate it with the construction coordination council of New Tashkent.

«In case the concept is approved, the administration expresses its intention to auction off the land plot for the ‘St. Petersburg Quarter’ to implement the right to lease the land plot,» the memorandum states.

The auctions will be held in Uzbekistan. The country also reserves the right to make a separate government decision—whether the plot will be leased or sold. Russian companies will also be able to participate in the competition.

The timeline and conditions of construction must be determined by 2026, with the project implementation planned for the period from 2026 to 2030. After signing the document, St. Petersburg will appoint responsible persons to join the joint working group between Russia and Uzbekistan for the construction of the new city. The St. Petersburg Committee on Foreign Relations declined to comment.

Sources in the publication note that it is too early to discuss financial costs on both sides, given that the memorandum imposes no legal or financial obligations. They were also unable to specify when and in which city the document would be signed. However, it is clear that the signing will be attended by St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov, Tashkent administration head Shavkat Umurzakov, and the official responsible for the construction of New Tashkent, Davronjon Adilov.

The St. Petersburg government plans to hold an architectural competition in the city to design a street fully dedicated to St. Petersburg, reflecting its heritage. Based on the competition results, proposals for volumetric and spatial solutions will be transferred to the Uzbek capital. For now, the district is planned in a «block» format, with sides of approximately 400-500 meters each.

In May 2024, during an official visit by Vladimir Putin, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced that one of the streets in New Tashkent would be named «St. Petersburg.» In response, the Russian president said it would be «the most beautiful.» Alexander Beglov called the Uzbek leader’s decision «a great honor for our city» and added that he considers the former Soviet republic one of St. Petersburg’s key international partners. This spring, Beglov met with Tashkent officials in Smolny and discussed a «roadmap» for developing interregional cooperation. In April, St. Petersburg Days were held in Tashkent. Smolny promised to hold Tashkent Days in St. Petersburg this fall.

The «New Tashkent» project, planned by the Uzbek government, is set to be implemented in the coming years due to the capital’s overpopulation, transport collapse, and lack of recreational zones. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed the general plan for the project just over a year ago. The district will cover an area of 20,000 hectares (about half the size of the capital). Plots for sale will be offered at about 1,000 hectares each (several plots have already been listed). The Uzbek authorities intend to make the new city a magnet for foreign investors with modern projects.

The article may contain inaccuracies as it is translated by AI. For more details, please refer to the Russian version of the article. If you notice any inaccuracies, you can send corrections via the Telegram bot: Uzvaibik_bot.