ISTANBUL

The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group reaffirmed its commitment Thursday to accelerate the implementation of the CASA-1000 project to transform the energy landscape in Central and South Asia through clean energy transmission.

In a CASA-1000 Joint Working Group Meeting, Mohamed Ishtiaq Akbar, operations manager at the IsDB Group Regional Hub Türkiye, said: "This project holds immense potential to improve lives, empower communities, and foster sustainable development across the region," according to a statement.

The two-day meeting in Istanbul began Thursday.

High-level experts and officials from the World Bank and other international financial institutions, together with ranking representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan are expected to attend.

The $1.6 billion CASA-1000 project is destined to eventually realize the export of surplus hydroelectricity from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and enable the regional electricity trade, said the statement.

Ishtiaq Akbar reiterated that the IsDB-financed sections of the project in Pakistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are nearing completion and urged the earliest resumption and completion of works in Afghanistan.​​​​​​​