What Vladimir Putin and Sadyr Japarov talked about in Bishkek

Vladimir Putin arrived on an official visit to Kyrgyzstan, where he held talks with the country’s President Sadyr Japarov. This is the first foreign trip of the Russian President this year. It comes ahead of his trip to China next week.

Putin arrived at the state residence of the President of Kyrgyzstan “Ala-Archa”, where the official meeting ceremony of the two presidents was first held. Then the heads of the two countries came to the Memorial to those killed during the tragic events of 1916, where Vladimir Putin laid a wreath.

After this, negotiations between Putin and Japarov began in Ala-Archa, including with the participation of delegations. Japarov greeted the Russian delegation at the negotiations. He emphasized that active contacts are taking place between Kyrgyzstan and Russia at the level of departments and regions.

Putin thanked Japarov for the invitation to Kyrgyzstan. He highly appreciated Kyrgyzstan’s chairmanship of the CIS in 2023, and recalled that in 2024 Russia will chair the commonwealth. Putin emphasized that relations between Russia and Kyrgyzstan are developing successfully. Russia is one of the leading trade and economic partners of Kyrgyzstan – in 2023, trade turnover between the countries increased by 37% to a record $3.5 billion, and in the first half of 2024 it added another 17.9%, the Russian President said. According to him, Russia is the largest investor in the Kyrgyz economy – the share of investments is 36%. In addition, 800 enterprises with Russian participation operate in Kyrgyzstan. Putin also added that interregional ties are also developing – more than 80 regions of Russia interact with seven regions of Kyrgyzstan. After this, the public part of the negotiations ended. At the end of them, Putin presented Zhaparov with the Order of Honor.

Then the ceremony of signing joint documents took place and the presidents made a statement to the media. Among the signed documents is an agreement between the governments of the two countries on the conditions of activity in the city of Bishkek of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University named after the first President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin, agreements on cooperation between the ministries of justice of the two countries, etc.

Japarov noted that the negotiations were substantive, and the course towards intensifying cooperation was confirmed. According to him, it was decided that the existing volume of trade turnover does not meet the potential that exists between the countries, so it is planned to increase it to $5 billion. Investments in Kyrgyzstan in the fuel and energy sector, agriculture, etc. were discussed at the negotiations, he noted.

Putin called the negotiations productive, adding that the entire range of bilateral relations was discussed, as well as current issues on the regional and international agenda. He agreed that there are prospects for growth in trade turnover between Russia and Kyrgyzstan. Putin also noted that Russia and Kyrgyzstan are switching to national currencies in mutual settlements – the share of the ruble in counter transactions has reached 83%.

The Russian President also said that one of the most important areas of cooperation is energy. Russia is the main supplier of petroleum products to Kyrgyzstan, he noted: in 2022, the volume of fuel supplied by Russia amounted to 1.2 million tons, and the same amount will be supplied by the end of 2023 – deliveries are made on preferential terms without export duties. According to him, “Gazprom» provides assistance to Kyrgyzstan in gasification of the country – currently the gasification level is 30%, it is planned to increase it to 60%. Putin also spoke about cooperation in the humanitarian sphere, recalling that on September 1, the construction of three Russian-language schools in Kyrgyzstan was launched, and a total of nine new schools are planned to be built.

“During the exchange of views on a number of the most pressing regional and global problems, it was stated that the positions of Russia and Kyrgyzstan are largely close or coincide, as diplomats say,” Putin said, although he did not disclose details in which cases the positions are close and in which match up.

Putin also said that his visit comes during the 20th anniversary of the Russian Kant air base in Kyrgyzstan. According to him, he remembers well how this base was created – then the leadership of the republic turned to Russia with a request to create a base, because Kyrgyzstan was attacked by gangs. Now this base contributes to strengthening the defense capability of the republic, to the fight against terrorism, extremism, and drug trafficking, he says. During Putin’s visit, the CSTO peacekeeping forces “Indestructible Brotherhood 2023” are holding exercises in Kyrgyzstan. Just after the two presidents made a statement to the press, they came out to the military, whom they congratulated on the 20th anniversary of the air base.

After these events, Putin will hold a bilateral meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on October 12, said presidential aide Yuri Ushakov. And on October 13, in the first half of the day, Putin will hold negotiations with the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon. Then a meeting of the Council of CIS Heads of State will take place in Bishkek. The summit will be attended by the presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan did not come to Bishkek.