President Sadyr Zhaparov, during a working visit to the Kingdom of Belgium, met with European Council President Charles Michel in Brussels in both narrow and expanded formats. This was reported by the press service of the President of Kyrgyzstan.
At the meeting, the parties discussed current issues of bilateral interaction on a wide range of topics, exchanged views on the prospects of trade and economic cooperation, investments, and the implementation of joint projects in the fields of energy, rare metals, agriculture, and more.
“Charles Michel, welcoming Sadyr Zhaparov, noted that he warmly remembers his visit to Kyrgyzstan, which took place last year. He confirmed his commitment to further deepening comprehensive bilateral cooperation based on the principles of democracy, respect for human rights, and the rule of law, as well as economic interaction,” the statement said.
The President of the EU outlined promising areas of cooperation with Kyrgyzstan, such as energy, environmentally clean technologies, transport, and more.
In turn, Sadyr Zhaparov thanked Charles Michel for the official invitation, warm welcome, and special attention to Kyrgyzstan in general.
Kyrgyzstan and the European Union stand on the historical threshold of a new level of cooperation. The fact that the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement is signed not only by the European Union but also by all 27 member states indicates its importance.
During the conversation, Sadyr Zhaparov also highlighted the negative consequences of climate change that affect all countries of the world, including Kyrgyzstan with its millennia-old glaciers.
He mentioned that recently in Vienna, Austria, a special donor platform was created together with the World Bank for the construction of the "Kambar-Ata-1" hydroelectric power station, which is one of the largest projects in Kyrgyzstan.
Sadyr Zhaparov proposed joining the construction of this project, considering the European Union's "Global Gateway" strategy.
The President of Kyrgyzstan also noted that currently, cooperation in the field of rare metals is considered one of the most important areas for the Kyrgyz side. Kyrgyzstan has 17 important metals of interest to European countries, 10 of which are found in large quantities, including europium, gadolinium, niobium, lithium, and others.
Zhaparov invited potential investors and financial institutions to cooperate in the implementation of projects on rare metals.
In addition, President Zhaparov touched upon a strategically important issue for Kyrgyzstan - the transport sector, which has not been resolved since 2006.
He noted that in 2006, Kyrgyzstan and its airlines were included in the "European Union Aviation Safety List," otherwise known as the "banned airlines list," due to non-compliance with flight safety requirements. Since then, Kyrgyz planes have stopped flying to EU countries.
“Sadyr Zhaparov emphasized that he personally pays special attention to this issue. Over the past two years, four airports in the country have been reconstructed, and a new airport is planned in Jalal-Abad. A special decree has been issued to improve the activities of the State Civil Aviation Agency. All necessary funds are allocated for updating all buildings and equipment. The State Civil Aviation Agency has been closely cooperating with the European Commission structures since 2023. All necessary documents have been provided,” the statement said.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
June 25, 2024