Türkiye, Kyrgyzstan Strike Strategic Economic Deal

(MENAFN) Türkiye and Kyrgyzstan solidified their economic partnership on Thursday by signing the 12th Term Joint Economic Commission (JEC) Protocol, a comprehensive agreement spanning trade, industry, energy, transportation, agriculture, education, healthcare, and culture.

The ceremony took place in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital, where Türkiye Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz and Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers Chairman Adylbek Kasymaliev formally endorsed the protocol alongside an extensive 77-article action plan.

Following the signing, Yilmaz declared a firm commitment to reaching ambitious trade targets set by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov at the upcoming sixth High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting in Bishkek in 2024. “We are determined to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov's trade volume targets of $2 billion in the short term and $5 billion in the medium term,” he said.

Yilmaz detailed that the discussions covered all facets of economic and trade ties, evaluating next steps in sectors with robust cooperation and growth potential—healthcare, education, energy, industry, culture, and tourism.

He highlighted the action plan as a joint roadmap pinpointing clear objectives and expanding collaboration across multiple fields: “With the action plan, which serves as a joint roadmap, we have identified concrete goals and new areas of work in an array of fields, including bilateral trade relations, industry and energy, transportation, agriculture, education, healthcare, and culture.”

The pact also aims to deepen cooperation in mining, focusing on rare earth elements and critical minerals. In industry and technology, Türkiye and Kyrgyzstan will work together to launch industrial parks within Kyrgyzstan, complemented by an upcoming Kyrgyz-Turkish IT meeting at the Kyrgyz IT Forum to explore software development, startups, and investment opportunities.

Yilmaz added that the partnership will advance smart cities, digital transformation, and e-government initiatives. In transportation, the introduction of electronic transit documents will streamline road transport by cutting bureaucracy.

Highlighting the mutual benefits, Yilmaz said, “New cooperation channels developed in various sectors, particularly energy, trade, transportation, healthcare, and agriculture, based on a win-win principle, will benefit the entire region.”

Underlining Türkiye’s key trade role, he noted, “Our country, which ranks eighth in Kyrgyzstan's exports and sixth in its imports, is an important trade partner. I hope that the commercial and economic relations between our countries will soon reach even higher levels, reflecting our brotherly bond.”

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