Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet on Thursday his Kyrgyz counterpart, Sooronbay Jeenbekov, who will pay a short working visit to Moscow
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th July, 2019) Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet on Thursday his Kyrgyz counterpart, Sooronbay Jeenbekov, who will pay a short working visit to Moscow.
Diplomatic relations between Russia and Kyrgyzstan were established on March 20, 1992. The two countries signed the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance in Moscow on June 10, 1992.
On July 27, 2000, the two countries signed the Declaration on Eternal Friendship, Allied Relations and Partnership.
Russian-Kyrgyz relations have been underpinned by about 160 interstate and intergovernmental treaties and agreements.
Kyrgyzstan has been Russia's strategic partner and ally in Central Asia, with the bilateral multidimensional cooperation having been characterized by similar approaches toward international and regional affairs, and by a strong focus on the development of Eurasian integration processes.
Russia and Kyrgyzstan have been intensively developing high-level contacts.
On November 29, 2017, Jeenbekov came to Russia for a working visit. This was Jeenbekov's first foreign trip after he assumed office on November 24, 2017.
Putin and Jeenbekov met again on May 14, 2018, in the Russian resort city of Sochi on the sidelines of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council's meeting.
On June 14, 2018, Jeenbekov paid a working visit to Moscow. During the talks at the highest level, the leaders of Russia and Kyrgyzstan discussed relevant issues of bilateral cooperation. Jeenbekov also attended the opening ceremony of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Moscow.
The next meeting of the two presidents was held in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe on the sidelines of the meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on September 28, 2018.
On February 9, 2019, an informal meeting between Putin and Jeenbekov was held in Sochi.
Another meeting between the presidents of the two states took place on March 28, 2019, during Putin's state visit to Kyrgyzstan. After the official welcoming ceremony, the two heads of state had a private conversation, and after that consultations with members of their delegations continued. They discussed the current state and prospects for the development of bilateral relations and signed a package of documents.
Putin and Jeenbekov also took part in a plenary session of the eighth Russia-Kyrgyzstan Interregional Conference and visited the house-museum of Kyrgyz writer Chinghiz Aitmatov in Bishkek.
On June 13, 2019, the heads of Russia and Kyrgyzstan held a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, during which they discussed prospects for developing relations between the two countries.
The prime ministers of the two countries have been actively involved in dialogue as well.
On February 2, 2018, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev met with then-Kyrgyz Prime Minister Sapar Isakov in the Kazakh city of Almaty.
On June 1 of the same year, Medvedev held talks with Kyrgyz Prime Minister Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev in Dushanbe on the sidelines of the meeting of the CIS Heads of State Council.
The next bilateral meeting between Medvedev and Abylgaziev was held on July 27, 2018, in St. Petersburg on the sidelines of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council's meeting.
The cooperation between the foreign ministries of the two states has been developing dynamically. Russia and Kyrgyzstan have been also developing interparliamentary cooperation.
From February 3-4, 2019, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov paid an official visit to the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, where he was received by Jeenbekov and held talks with his Kyrgyz counterpart, Chingiz Aidarbekov.
Lavrov paid another visit to Bishkek on May 22, 2019, to attend the meetings of the councils of foreign ministers of the SCO and Collective Security Treaty Organization. During the visit, he was received by Jeenbekov.
Russia is one of Kyrgyzstan's leading trade and economic partners.
According to the Russian Federal Customs Service, the Russian-Kyrgyz trade in 2018 amounted to $1.8 billion. Russian exports totaled $1.6 billion, while imports reached $248.3 million.
In January-May 2019, the volume of bilateral trade totaled $729.4 million, including $594.3 million in Russian exports and $135.1 million in imports.
Russia's Primary exports to Kyrgyzstan are mineral products, food products and agricultural raw materials, metals and metal products, chemicals and other goods.
Russian imports from Kyrgyzstan include metals and metal products, textile goods and footwear, machinery, equipment and vehicles, food products and agricultural raw materials and other goods.
The Russian-Kyrgyz Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Humanitarian Cooperation, which was established on October 10, 1997, has been supporting bilateral relations. Its 21st meeting was held in Bishkek on March 1, 2019.
The gas industry has been one of the key areas of bilateral economic cooperation. Pursuant to the 2013 cooperation agreement in the field of natural gas transportation, distribution and sales in the Kyrgyz Republic, Russian energy giant Gazprom is working to ensure the republic's gas needs are provided for.
Russia has been one of the leading investors in the Kyrgyz economy, with accumulated Russian investments amounting to over $200 million. These resources are directed to manufacturing firms, wholesale and retail trade, geological exploration, as well as mining.
The Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund, which was established in order to adjust the Kyrgyz economy for participation in the Eurasian Economic Union, has been an effective tool for bilateral economic cooperation. As of March 2019, the fund has invested into more than 1,500 large and small projects worth $307 million. The reconstruction of the Issyk-Kul International Airport in Kyrgyzstan's Tamchy, erection of a factory for the production of construction materials in the Osh region, a shoe factory in the Chuy region are among these projects.
An important part of the relationship between Russia and Kyrgyzstan has been military and defense industry cooperation. Kyrgyzstan has been hosting Russia's integrated military base. The base includes four facilities, namely the Kant air base, test base of the Russian Navy on Lake Issyk-Kul, navy communications center in the village of Chaldovar and an autonomous seismic station in Mailuu-Suu.
On June 19, 2018, the treaty between Russia and the Kyrgyz Republic on the development of military and technical cooperation, which was signed in Moscow on June 20, 2017, came into force.
The priority areas of cooperation in the humanitarian sphere include education, culture, and the strengthening of the Russian language positions in Kyrgyzstan.
The Russian Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Culture, Information, and Tourism of the Kyrgyz Republic have been implementing have been implementing a cooperation program for the 2018-2020 period. In 2016, the Days of Russian Culture and the Russian Cinema Week were successfully held in Kyrgyzstan. The Days of Kyrgyz Culture in Russia took place in June 2017.
Events dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the birth of Aitmatov were held in the regions of Russia and Kyrgyzstan in 2018.
The year 2020 will be the cross-year of Russia and Kyrgyzstan.
Ties in the educational sphere are being strengthened. The most important role in this regard is played by the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University, which was opened in Bishkek in 1993.
Since June 2011, the Russian Center for Science and Culture has been operating in Bishkek. In December 2016, Russian foreign cooperation agency Rossotrudnichestvo opened a branch of the Russian Center for Science and Culture in the city of Osh.
