Bishkek, March 17, 2025. /Kabar /. President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov today, March 17, met with European Union Commissioner for International Partnership Jozef Sikela in Bishkek.
The press service of the head of state said that key issues of strategic cooperation were discussed.
The head of state, welcoming Jozef Sikela, congratulated him on his appointment, expressing hope for successful cooperation.
Sadyr Zhaparov noted that the European Union has been a reliable partner of Kyrgyzstan since the country gained independence. He emphasized the active dialogue between Kyrgyzstan and the EU countries, as well as the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement signed in Brussels in June 2024. The president expressed confidence that this agreement will be an important step in the development of trade, economic and investment relations. The president spoke about the current socio-economic situation in the country, emphasizing that over the past four years the state budget has grown almost threefold, and GDP has doubled. He noted the growth of pensions and social benefits, as well as a decisive fight against corruption aimed at strengthening state institutions, increasing trust in the judicial system and ensuring the safety of citizens.
"We highly appreciate the ongoing support of the European Union in carrying out democratic reforms and developing a stable and sustainable state in Kyrgyzstan," the head of state noted.
Sadyr Zhaparov emphasized the important legal acts adopted to strengthen trust, create a favorable investment climate and business environment, as well as to protect property and ensure the rights of investors.
The president offered the EU cooperation in promoting green initiatives, early warning systems for natural disasters, low-carbon development and the transition to renewable energy sources.
He also recalled that, at the initiative of Kyrgyzstan and with the broad support of mountain partners, the UN declared 2023-2027 the "Five Years of Action for the Development of Mountain Regions". In this context, he called on the European Union to join as a donor to Kyrgyzstan's roadmap for sustainable development of mountain regions, since many European countries are also mountainous and have similar challenges, such as preserving glaciers, protecting mountain ecosystems and ensuring sustainable development.
In turn, Commissioner Sikela praised the historic border agreement between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan as being of crucial importance for regional peace and reaffirmed the EU's commitment to regional integration and connectivity between Central Asia and Europe.
"Kyrgyzstan has enormous potential in the field of renewable energy, and the EU is ready to support projects that bring sustainable and long-term benefits to the region and realize this potential. The initiatives agreed upon during my visit will definitely help in this," Commissioner Josef Sikela emphasized.
Then the signing ceremony of the financial agreement took place in the presence of President Sadyr Zhaparov and Commissioner Josef Sikela.
Thus, the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, the European Union and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development signed a memorandum of understanding to launch a new program aimed at increasing investment in irrigation in order to increase Kyrgyzstan's resilience to climate change. The program is aimed at supporting the introduction of water-saving technologies and innovative solutions that will help increase agricultural productivity in the country.