Bishkek, Nov. 27, 2023. /Kabar/. Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers - Head of the Presidential Administration of the Kyrgyz Republic Akylbek Zhaparov, as part of a working trip to London (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), met with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development of Great Britain, David Cameron.
Akylbek Zhaparov expressed gratitude to the British authorities for the warm welcome and conveyed greetings from the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov.
He noted that the Kyrgyz Republic highly values the contribution and assistance of Great Britain within the framework of projects for the socio-economic development of the country, strengthening human potential and supporting small and medium-sized businesses.
For example, in 2021-2022, UK assistance through projects and programs amounted to USD 5.2 million, in addition, USD 10.56 million is expected to be allocated as official development assistance to Kyrgyzstan.
During the meeting, Akylbek Zhaparov said that over the past 3 years, Kyrgyzstan’s GDP has almost doubled. Due to political stability, successful administration, the fight against corruption and economic reforms, the country's budget has increased 3 times. Kyrgyzstan has become a leader in the pace of achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, taking 45th place out of 166 UN member states.
During the negotiations, the parties discussed trade and economic cooperation. Thus, it was noted that for 8 months of 2023, trade turnover between the two countries exceeded USD 60 million, which is 480% more than for the same period in 2022.
In this direction, Akylbek Zhaparov noted the importance of actively continuing joint work to establish business contacts between British importers and exporters of Kyrgyzstan, noting that Kyrgyzstan is actively working to attract foreign investors.
“In our opinion, investors may be interested in the favorable location of Kyrgyzstan on the logistics routes between China and continental Europe, hydropower potential, the availability of recreational resources for tourism, as well as the presence of a mineral resource base for gold and certain types of valuable and rare natural resources. Today, a favorable investment climate has been created in Kyrgyzstan, while the guarantee itself is clearly reflected in the Constitution of our country,” he said.
The head of the Cabinet of Ministers continued that the Kyrgyz side highly appreciates the contribution that the British Government is making to the implementation of the organized recruitment of citizens of Kyrgyzstan as part of the seasonal work program in the UK.
“I note with satisfaction that this year the quota of seasonal workers for Kyrgyzstan has reached 8 thousand people. We hope that, given the positive mutually beneficial experience, the number of seasonal workers will continue to grow,” he said.
In this direction, the British official welcomed the activities of citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic during the period of seasonal work.
In addition, Akylbek Zhaparov mentioned that there is an Agreement regarding air services dated December 8, 1994 between the governments of Kyrgyzstan and Great Britain. Within the framework of this Agreement, in different years, British airlines operated regular flights between London and Bishkek, but since 2013 they have ceased.
“At the same time, in recent years, the number of our working citizens, students and graduate students in the UK has been growing, as well as the growing tourist flow, both from and to Kyrgyzstan, which can have a positive impact on the increase in passenger traffic. Considering these circumstances, we ask for assistance in considering at the government level the issue of resuming regular air traffic between our countries,” he said.
British Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development David Cameron said that the British authorities are interested in intensifying bilateral cooperation, and expressed confidence that the implementation of previously reached agreements and new agreements between the two countries will be at a high level.
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