ASTANA – Business leaders from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyz Republic signed commercial documents worth $300 million at an April 17 business forum, the Trade and Integration Ministry’s press service reported.
Photo credit: Ministry of Trade and Integration
Both sides agreed to construct solar power plants, a ferroalloy plant, and a distribution center in the Kyrgyz Republic’s territory to supply agricultural and other products.
Last year, trade turnover between the two countries increased by 26% compared to the previous year, reaching $1.6 billion. Kazakh exports made up almost 69%, or $1.1 billion (an increase of 35.8%), and imports—$495.2 million (an increase of 9%).
According to Dzhamin Akimaliyev, an academician of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic have great potential to increase their trade turnover to $5 billion, reported Kazinform. The countries may sell agricultural, industrial, and construction products, precious metals concentrates and others.
“We must use every effort to maintain open and transparent borders between our two friendly nations to achieve these ambitious goals. This is necessary to ensure the free movement of human and financial resources, goods and services. Indeed, often, due to unreasonable checks and bureaucratic obstacles, a multi-kilometer queue of heavy vehicles carrying goods, sometimes perishable agricultural products, forms at the border,” he said.
Akimaliev emphasized that the signing of the agreement to deepen and expand allied relations will help solve cross-border policy concerns, efficiently counteract transborder challenges, threats, and risks and strengthen cooperation in protecting the Kazakh-Kyrgyz border. When the countries sign the agreement, they will become full-fledged members of the agreement aimed at creating an integrated economic space, he said.
On April 18-19, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov plans to pay an official visit to Kazakhstan.
As part of the visit, Japarov is expected to meet with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, co-chair the Supreme Interstate Council meeting and participate in the opening of the Kyrgyz Cinema Days in Kazakhstan and several other events.
Japarov is supposed to join the opening ceremony of the monument to the hero of the Kyrgyz Manas epic in the Kazakh capital.
