Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan paid a state visit to Kyrgyzstan on November 4-5 and, together with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, chaired the 6th meeting of the Kyrgyzstan-Turkey High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council.
Presidents Japarov and Erdoğan signed a Joint Declaration elevating relations between Kyrgyzstan and Turkey to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership, which Japarov said meets the fundamental interests of both states.
President Erdoğan stated: “With the document we have just signed, we have elevated our strategic partnership relations, which we established in 2011, to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership that befits our brotherhood. We have signed 19 agreements, including the joint declaration, in many areas such as security, energy, education, healthcare and culture. Also, we have discussed the potential joint steps in the areas of security, defense industry, and the fight against terror.”
During the negotiations Japarov encouraged Turkish companies to participate in the construction of small and medium-sized hydroelectric power plants in Kyrgyzstan.
The Kyrgyz president emphasized the growing role of new transport routes connecting China with European countries via Central Asia and Turkey. “We are starting construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway. The successful implementation of this project will unite about 4 billion people and expand the geography of cargo transportation from Asia to Europe, Turkey, the Middle East, Iran, as well as to the Arab countries and North Africa,” Japarov said.
As a result of the visit, Turkey has written off Kyrgyzstan’s debt in the amount of $58.9 million.
An agreement was also reached to expand the network of schools of the Turkish Maarif Foundation to all regions of Kyrgyzstan.
Photo: president.kg
