18th meeting of Committee for Cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and EU held in Bishkek

Bishkek, April 7, 2022 / Kabar /. The 18th meeting of the Committee for Cooperation between the Kyrgyz Republic and the European Union was held in Bishkek on Wednesday, the press service of the Kyrgyz Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.

The delegation of the Kyrgyz Republic was headed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aibek Moldogaziev, the delegation of the European Union - Deputy Managing Director for Russia, Eastern Partnership, Central Asia and the OSCE of the European External Action Service Luc Devigne. The event was also attended by representatives of state bodies of Kyrgyzstan and interested directorates of the European Commission.

During the meeting, the parties discussed a wide range of issues of diverse cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and the European Union in the format of a confidential dialogue.

Moldogaziev informed the European delegation about the course of domestic political reforms in the country, aimed at achieving the well-being of the people of Kyrgyzstan and the democratic development of the country. The European side welcomed the achievements of Kyrgyzstan in this direction and expressed its readiness to continue supporting democratic institutions. The sides shared their experience and opinions on the observance of human rights, the rule of law, and the fight against corruption.

An important topic of the meeting was the issues of building up trade and economic relations and the review of the GSP+.

Active interaction between the parties on environmental issues was noted, including the possibility of establishing cooperation within the framework of the European Green Deal program.

A thorough exchange of views took place on global and regional issues of politics and security. In this context, the joint holding of the First EU-CA Economic Forum on November 5, 2021 in Bishkek was noted with satisfaction. Plans for holding regional events and meetings in the "European Union - Central Asia" format were discussed.

In general, the sides confirmed their intention to further expand partnership and cooperation between the parties. For these purposes, an agreement was reached to complete the procedures for signing an Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the Kyrgyz Republic and the EU in the near future and organize visits at the highest and high levels.

The negotiations were preparations for the meeting of the KR-EU Cooperation Council, which will be held in June this year.