Following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's official visit to Kyrgyzstan on November 4-5, 2024, nearly two dozen agreements were signed, including a Joint Declaration to elevate the strategic partnership between Kyrgyzstan and Turkey to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
"The relations between the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Turkey, based on mutual respect and trust, are being raised to a new level of comprehensive strategic partnership," emphasized Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov during an extended meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The relations between the two countries have always been founded on friendship and mutual respect. High-level talks underscored both parties' desire to strengthen and develop ties to benefit both nations.
Bishkek and Ankara share close or similar positions on a wide range of international issues. Therefore, alongside plans to strengthen economic cooperation and expand social and cultural-humanitarian projects, they focused significantly on regional security, counter-terrorism, and combating religious extremism.
In his speech, President Japarov noted that Kyrgyzstan had established a state enterprise, "Kyrgyzpharmacia," with the primary goal of providing the population with high-quality medicines.
"We know that Turkey is a global leader in producing high-quality medicines and medical products. For this reason, I propose building a Turkish pharmaceutical plant in Kyrgyzstan to meet the needs of both Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian countries and Russia," suggested President Japarov to the Turkish side.
Under the leadership of the heads of both countries, the Sixth Meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council between Kyrgyzstan and Turkey took place.
According to one of the signed agreements, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey will collaborate in producing films and TV series, as announced by Altynbek Maksutov, Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Culture, Information, Sports, and Youth Policy. "This means we will be working with Turkey to create films, videos, and series. We recently visited Italy, where we signed a similar agreement," he stated.
A notable moment during the official meetings was the awarding of Turkey’s President Erdoğan with the "Manas" First-Class Order, Kyrgyzstan's highest national honor. According to Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, who presented the award, it recognizes Erdoğan’s significant contributions to advancing the strategic partnership between Kyrgyzstan and Turkey, as well as strengthening the friendship between their nations. He added that it was an honor to bestow this award, symbolizing the Kyrgyz people's profound gratitude for Erdoğan's visionary leadership, personal efforts, and tireless work to enhance bilateral cooperation.
An indicator of the growing trust between the two countries was Turkey’s decision to cancel Kyrgyzstan’s $59 million debt, initially taken between 2012-2015 in the amount of $100 million, in exchange for green economy projects.
Following the talks, Japarov made an official statement: "We are pleased to announce that we have made the important decision to elevate our level of strategic partnership with Turkey to a 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.'"
Turkey has long been one of Kyrgyzstan's key trade and investment partners. Both parties reiterated their commitment to provide political support and protect investments in sectors of mutual interest. Kyrgyzstan is firmly committed to further improving conditions for both foreign and domestic investors.
On education, an agreement was reached to expand the network of Maarif Foundation schools across all regions of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Additionally, an agreement was signed to resume arrangements allowing citizens of Kyrgyzstan to receive free medical treatment in Turkey.
This visit from Kyrgyzstan's president had been anticipated since last year but only occurred this year for various reasons.
Previously, President Erdoğan visited Kyrgyzstan six years ago, in 2018, where he attended the opening ceremony of the Third World Nomad Games in Cholpon-Ata, an event joined by leaders from member countries of the Organization of Turkic States.
This visit by Erdoğan opens new opportunities for both countries to develop comprehensive trade, financial, cultural-humanitarian, and political-economic relations.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
November 5, 2024