Kyrgyzstan And EU Discuss Prospects For Expanding Cooperation

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 23. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and President of the European Council António Costa discussed current areas of cooperation in New York on September 22.

According to the press service of the President of Kyrgyzstan, the meeting was held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

"The sides discussed current issues of cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and the European Union," the statement said.

At the beginning of the meeting, António Costa congratulated Sadyr Japarov on Kyrgyzstan's election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, as well as on the successful holding of the SCO Summit in Bishkek in early September 2026.

The sides noted the importance of maintaining political dialogue both bilaterally and within the Central Asia–European Union format, as well as developing cooperation under the Global Gateway program.

Furthermore, the sides also paid particular attention to sanctions-related issues. Sadyr Japarov expressed concern over the sanctions policy pursued by Western and European partners toward Kyrgyzstan, emphasizing that the country maintains regular contact and exchanges information with responsible EU officials.

The President of Kyrgyzstan cited the closure of 50 companies in the country in 2026 that had carried out operations with elevated sanctions risks and emphasized Kyrgyzstan's readiness for open dialogue and further cooperation with Western and European partners.

In the economic sphere, the sides discussed prospects for implementing specific joint projects, including in the transport sector, taking into account Kyrgyzstan's efforts to develop its transit potential and join multimodal transport corridors.

At the end of the meeting, António Costa invited Sadyr Japarov to visit Brussels to give new momentum to cooperation. The Kyrgyz president accepted the invitation.

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