Bishkek, July 3, 2024. /Kabar/. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic Jeenbek Kulubaev hold negotiations with his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis.
Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev noted that the first visit of Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will give impetus to the further development of bilateral relations.
Also, the Kyrgyz minister emphasized that for 32 years Switzerland has been and remains a reliable friend and development partner of Kyrgyzstan.
At the same time, Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis was informed about the reforms being carried out in Kyrgyzstan and the current economic development of the country.
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic noted the importance of implementing Swiss projects in Kyrgyzstan, which play a significant role in the socio-economic development of the country. For example, the currently implemented Cooperation Program “Kyrgyzstan - Switzerland” for 2022-2025 covers projects worth 80 million Swiss francs and covers areas such as inclusive and sustainable economic development, human rights, public administration and service delivery, and also climate change and water resources.
In turn, Ignazio Cassis said that a draft Cooperation Program for 2025-2028 is currently being developed.
Discussing issues of economic interaction, Jeenbek Kulubaev noted with satisfaction that in 2023 the trade turnover between the countries reached 1.1 billion US dollars, and the parties need to maintain this figure, as well as take measures to further increase mutual trade.
As part of strengthening economic cooperation, the parties agreed to hold the next meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, as well as a business forum in Switzerland.
Regarding investment cooperation, Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev invited Swiss companies to Kyrgyzstan, especially emphasizing that since 1996, the Swiss company “Sut Bulak” has been successfully operating in the Issyk-Kul region, producing high-quality products under the “Dairy Spring” brand.
The Swiss side was asked to intensify cooperation in the banking sector, in terms of establishing correspondent accounts between banking institutions of the countries.
A separate topic of the negotiations was issues in the energy sector, in particular, Ignazio Cassis was briefly informed about the results of the International Energy Forum dedicated to the construction project of Kambarata HPP-1, held on June 10-11, 2024 in Vienna with the active assistance of the World Bank. In this context, Jeenbek Kulubaev drew his colleague’s attention to the fact that following the results of this Forum, a decision was made to create a Coordination Donor Committee.
Also, the Swiss side expressed gratitude for the implementation in 2023 of the project for the reconstruction of the At-Bashi hydro power station in the amount of 20 million Swiss francs. At the same time, the Swiss side was invited to intensify cooperation in “green” energy.
The parties also discussed issues of tourism development and interaction in the field of creative economy.
At the same time, noting the geographical similarity of the countries, the minister raised issues on the “mountain” agenda of the day, inviting Switzerland to co-organize the Bishkek Mountain Summit, scheduled for 2027.
Also, the heads of the foreign policy departments of Kyrgyzstan and Switzerland touched upon issues of interaction within international organizations, noting the positive dynamics in this direction.
In addition, an exchange of views took place on current issues on the international and regional agenda.
Following the negotiations, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, Jeenbek Kulubaev, and the head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation, Ignazio Cassis, made a statement to the press.
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