The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting.
Excerpts from the transcript:
Mikhail Mishustin’s conversation with Prime Minister and Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of Kyrgyzstan Akylbek Japarov
Mikhail Mishustin’s conversation with Prime Minister and Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of Kyrgyzstan Akylbek Japarov
Mikhail Mishustin’s conversation with Prime Minister and Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of Kyrgyzstan Akylbek Japarov
Mikhail Mishustin: Mr Japarov, I would like to start by once again offering you my greetings. I am delighted to meet with you once again.
First, I would like to ask you to convey my best wishes to President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov on behalf of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, as well as from me personally.
The purpose of our meeting today it to reinforce our integration processes and ties within the Eurasian Economic Union, and promote trade and economic cooperation, primarily in the interests of our people and states.
Of course, not everyone finds this to their liking. Western countries are trying to drive us apart, but our presence here today must show everyone that we stand together and are committed to carrying on with the Eurasian integration.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin has provided a detailed review of the current situation.
This is a special year for Russia and Kyrgyzstan. In March, we will mark the 30th anniversary of our diplomatic relations. I would like to make a special emphasis on the fact that Russia highly values its strategic partnership with Kyrgyzstan, rooted as it is in the friendship between our nations that reaches back centuries.
Our trade, economic, and investment cooperation has been gaining momentum. Last year, trade increased by 47 percent, approaching $2.5 billion. An almost 50 percent increase is a very robust result.
The intergovernmental commission has been tasked with further expanding our cooperation. Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk co-chairs it on the Russia side.
We are drafting an intergovernmental economic cooperation programme for 2022–2026. Its approval will stimulate further growth of trade and our mutual investment.
We have considerable potential for joint work in industry, engineering, and electronics. There is also good potential in the digital economy, green energy, transport and logistics. I hope that Kyrgyzstan will continue to ensure a comfortable working environment for Russian investors.
As part of our joint fight against Covid-19, we supply vaccines and test kits. It is highly important to continue the vaccination campaign. The immunisation, I am absolutely sure, will help us cope with this problem.
Step by step, we are restoring air communications and the frequency of flights. There are over 170 flights a week on 50 routes. As the pandemic recedes, the number of flights and routes will grow. I hope we will lift all restrictions soon.
Our collaboration is expanding in the humanitarian sphere as well. Russian universities are training over 8,000 Kyrgyz students, almost 5,300 of them at the expense of the Russian federal budget. We will increase the quota to 500 places next academic year.
We hope that Kyrgyzstan’s leaders will continue to take seriously matters related to the use of the Russian language, which, incidentally, enjoys an official status in Kyrgyzstan. We are working fruitfully in the Eurasian Economic Union and we support the integration priorities of Kyrgyzstan’s EAEU chairmanship.
Please, the floor goes to you, Mr Japarov.
Akylbek Japarov: Thank you, Mr Mishustin. Of course, let me convey to you, Mr Mishustin, and to President Vladimir Putin many warm thanks and greetings from our President Sadyr Japarov.
Cooperation with Russia is of particular importance to us by virtue of the historical and cultural community of our peoples, the traditional bonds of friendship and common interests in security, politics, the economy, military-technical cooperation, culture and the humanitarian area. Before my departure, I met with President Japarov, who said we had been with Russia for 200 years and we are ready to be with Russia for another 300 years. Today, we will not plan for a longer period, but we were and will be together.
I would also like to support you and highlight a significant event: this year, we will mark 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries. Noting the historic importance of this anniversary, I would like to assure you that Kyrgyzstan intends to continue strengthening relations of strategic partnership and alliance with Russia, relations based on multifaceted cooperation in the spirit of mutual trust and understanding.
I would like to note that in the past period, relations between Kyrgyzstan and Russia have been intensively developing in all areas, and we have always felt support from Russia’s leaders, and your personal attention, Mr Mishustin. We are very grateful to you.
Taking advantage of this occasion, I would like to express gratitude for Russia’s support to the tune of $10 million to our budget, rendered late last year.
The Kyrgyz Republic also attaches much importance to integration within the Eurasian Economic Union. This is one of our country’s foreign policy priorities. As part of its EAEU chairmanship, the Kyrgyz Republic will do its utmost to promote the integration processes and achieve the EAEU goals.
Today, we have a good opportunity to discuss all current issues of Kyrgyz-Russian interaction, which we discussed with you at our meetings in Yerevan and Moscow late last year.
We have supported the Russian Federation’s initiative to hold EXPO-2030 in Moscow. We hope we will take an active part in it.
Mikhail Mishustin: Thank you, friends.
