First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Asein Isayev in an interview to Kabar News Agency following the visit of the Kyrgyz delegation to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia told about the results of the visit.
Dear Asein Kuseinovich, the delegation of the Kyrgyz Republic visited the city of Addis Ababa on January 13 - 16, 2025. Please, tell us briefly about the results of the visit.
- Indeed, the delegation of the Kyrgyz Republic visited the capital of Ethiopia, the city of Addis Ababa, last week. It is important to note that Addis Ababa is the political capital of Africa, since the African Union is located there. The African Union is the largest organization in Africa, of which all 54 African states are members. Addis Ababa is one of the largest cities not only in Africa, but also in the world. As I have already noted, Addis Ababa is home to the African Union, all 54 African countries, as well as most countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America, a total of about 130 countries in the world have diplomatic missions in the city. Thus, Addis Ababa is the third largest city in the world in terms of the number of diplomatic missions (after New York and Geneva). In short, Addis Ababa opens the way to the development t of cooperation with all African countries.
As for the visit and the meetings and negotiations held, I would like to note that the Kyrgyz delegation held meetings with Ethiopian officials.
In-depth negotiations were held with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia Misganu Arga, Minister of Finance of Ethiopia Ahmed Shide and Director General of Civil Aviation Getachew Mengesti. As for the agreements reached between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs: we agreed to maintain political contact, we are considering organizing high-level visits, we agreed to expand the legal framework, in particular the Agreement on a visa-free regime for holders of service and diplomatic passports and the Agreement on the promotion and protection of mutual investments.
Productive negotiations were held with Minister of Finance of Ethiopia Ahmed Shide, who expressed a desire to establish trade and economic relations between the countries. The Ethiopian side expressed its readiness to sign the Agreement on the Avoidance of Double Taxation between our countries, after coordination within the country.
We agreed with Director General of Civil Aviation to consider organizing the visit and signing a memorandum on cooperation between the civil aviation of our countries. It’s worth to note that the Ethiopian Airlines is the largest airline in Africa with over 160 aircraft and direct flights to over 140 destinations. In this regard, the Ethiopian side has expressed interest in opening direct cargo flights between Addis Ababa and Bishkek.
In general, it is necessary to take into account the growing role of Ethiopia in Africa, and in the world as a whole. Ethiopia's economy is one of the fastest growing in the world: in 2024, the country's GDP was $210 billion, which allowed it to take third place in Africa, the population of Ethiopia is 120 million people.
What is the interest of the Kyrgyz Republic to the African continent?
- First of all, Africa is 54 countries with a population of over 1.5 billion people, it is the second largest continent after Eurasia. Africa has huge reserves of resources, and in the near future, the role of Africa in the world economy and international politics will increase several times.
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is an extremely diverse region consisting of low, lower-middle, upper-middle and highincome countries, 22 of which are unstable or affected by conflict, as well as 13 small states with small populations. According to the World Bank forecasts, Africa, with its rich natural resources, the world's largest free trade zone and a market of 1.5 billion people, has the potential to pave a new path of development using the potential of its resources and people.
Therefore, we see how many countries of the world, including Asian countries, express great interest in Africa and cooperation with them.
The African Union is the largest international organization, of which all 54 African countries are members, about 70 states and international organizations are observers and partners of the African Union.
We held meetings in the African Union Commission, which is the Secretariat of the organization. We discussed the issue of obtaining observer status in the Union, outlined plans for further cooperation.
New opportunities for cooperation with each African country are opening up for our country, including leading countries such as Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, Ethiopia, South Africa and others. Our views on many issues on the international agenda coincide, opportunities for trade, investment and tourism are opening up.
African countries are a huge market. Kyrgyzstan has an opportunity to diversify its export potential and supply environmentally friendly products. African countries are rich in mineral resources, which can be purchased for Kyrgyzstan's production facilities.
There are many wealthy people in African countries, and we also have the opportunity to attract students to the educational sphere, attract tourists to our country. At the same time, we can provide an opportunity for our citizens to visit safe tourist places in Africa.
Ethiopia is the largest coffee producer in Africa, and is also among the top 5 countries in coffee supplies to the world market. There are a large number of coffee consumers in Kyrgyzstan, and why not give the opportunity to purchase high-quality coffee in Ethiopia for our market.
Having established close contacts with African countries, Kyrgyzstan has the opportunity to promote its foreign policy and global initiatives, including within the framework of international organizations such as the UN.
As part of promoting our global initiatives, as well as Kyrgyzstan's candidacy for elected bodies of international organizations, the delegation of the Kyrgyz Republic met with representatives of Kenya, Mali, Liberia, Botswana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Libya, Somalia and others. We discussed issues of developing bilateral relations and cooperation within the framework of international organizations. Many countries welcome Kyrgyzstan's interest in Africa and are ready to cooperate closely.
During the meetings, our delegation spoke in detail about Kyrgyzstan, the reforms and transformations carried out in the country under the leadership of President Sadyr Zhaparov, integration processes in Central Asia, and the growing role of the region in Asia and the world.
Are African countries ready to cooperate with Kyrgyzstan?
- Following the visit, it became clear that the vast majority of African countries are interested in cooperation with Kyrgyzstan, and with the Central Asian region as a whole.
As already said, within the framework of the international agenda, we noted the similarity of positions on many issues. Climate change is a common problem for humanity, and African countries are facing enormous challenges and consequences of climate change. Kyrgyzstan, as a conductor of the mountain agenda in the context of climate change at the global level, also shared its policy in this area, and that under the auspices of the head of state, our country is promoting international initiatives. We agree on one thing - that we must fight together on climate change at the global level, and in this context, it is important for us to have the voices of Africa, and for Africa to have the voices of Central Asia.
Kyrgyzstan has carefully studied the conceptual document called Agenda 2063, and fully supports the goals of this document. African countries deserve peace and development. I would like to note that Agenda 2063 is Africa's plan to transform Africa into a global center of power for the future. Agenda 2063 includes reorienting Africa from the fight against apartheid and achieving independence to inclusive social and economic development, and turning it into a dominant player on the world stage. As for bilateral relations, as I have already noted, Africa is 54 states, different countries with different political, economic and internal situations. Kyrgyzstan will develop cooperation with each country within the framework of its national interests. At the same time, as I have already noted, in some African countries the situation is still unstable, there are conflicts, and Kyrgyzstan makes its contribution within the framework of UN peacekeeping missions in a number of African countries. As you know, our country was one of the first to start sending peacekeepers to Africa, and we are ready to continue this work, thereby contributing to international efforts to establish peace and develop the countries of the continent.