Uzbekistan will move a step closer to reducing its dependence on fossil fuels by securing financing for one of the first private-sector renewable energy projects in the country, a 100-megawatt solar power plant near the ancient Silk Road city of Samarkand.

Kazakhstan is planning a further package of measures to support domestic businesses that have been hit hard by restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, and plans to allocate around $6 billion to support small and medium-sized companies.

Kazakhstan faces challenges on its way to economic recovery, although growth may rebound to 3.7 percent in 2021 assuming a recovery in oil prices, expansion of Kazakhstan’s major Tengiz oil project and the recent legislation that allowed citizens to withdraw pension savings, Fitch Ratings said.