The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Olzhas Bektenov, and the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers – Head of the Presidential Administration of the Kyrgyz Republic, Adylbek Kasymaliev, who arrived for his first official foreign visit, held talks in Astana in both narrow and expanded formats, as reported by the press service of the Government of Kazakhstan.
The parties reviewed the progress of the agreements reached between the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and the President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov. A wide range of issues was covered, including trade and economic, investment, transit and transport, water and energy, tourism, cultural and humanitarian cooperation, as well as the agricultural sector.
“The trusting relationship between the leaders of our states, grounded in mutual respect and genuine friendship, contributes to elevating multifaceted cooperation to a new level. Strengthening and deepening trade relations brings a multiplicative effect for the development of the economies of both countries. It is encouraging to note that the indicators of mutual trade increased again last year, reaching 1.7 billion dollars. At the same time, we see significant potential for further expanding trade and economic interaction,” emphasized Olzhas Bektenov.
“Bilateral cooperation between our neighboring countries holds special strategic significance. Since ancient times, our neighboring peoples have been united by centuries-old friendship, good-neighborly and fraternal relations, common culture, language, and even customs. I am confident that this meeting will provide an opportunity to exchange views on many issues of mutual interest and develop new proposals that meet the interests of both countries,” noted Adylbek Kasymaliev.
During the negotiations, mechanisms for unlocking existing potential and increasing trade turnover were discussed.
In the transit and transport sector, a set of measures is being implemented to enhance the capacity of the Kazakhstan-Kyrgyz border. Modernization and expansion of road checkpoints at the border are underway, including “Aksu” – “Kamishanovka” and “Besagash” – “Kichi-Kapka”. The development of the checkpoints “Sortobe” – “Tokmok” and “Aukhatti” – “Ken-Bulun” is also planned.
Special attention was given to water and energy cooperation. Issues of ensuring water supply during the growing season for the Shu and Talas rivers, the safe operation of the Kirov reservoir, and regional energy security were discussed. An important area of mutually beneficial cooperation is tourism.
Measures to develop new tourist destinations were discussed, including the creation of cross-border eco-routes, development of infrastructure for active tourism, and attracting investments in the hospitality industry.
In the realm of cultural and humanitarian cooperation, this year the Days of Kazakh Cinema are planned in Kyrgyzstan, and issues regarding the opening of branches of Kazakh universities in the Kyrgyz Republic are being explored.
Following the negotiations, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov emphasized that the Government of Kazakhstan is ready to support the high dynamics of Kazakh-Kyrgyz trade and economic partnership.
It is worth noting that earlier it was reported that Kazakhstan is prepared to increase exports to Kyrgyzstan of products across 175 positions totaling over 203 million dollars. Among these are products from the petrochemical, food, metallurgy, machine engineering, pharmaceutical sectors, construction materials, and more.