The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan has to step up work on economic diplomacy. The head of the Cabinet of Ministers Akylbek Japarov said this during a working meeting at the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
He recalled that according to the national development program approved by the president until 2026, the goal was set to ensure an annual rate of real economic growth of about 5 percent with attraction of foreign direct investment in the amount of at least 13 percent of GDP (about $1 billion a year).
«In this regard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was tasked with intensifying economic diplomacy and stepping up work primarily in three main areas: attraction of foreign investments, promotion of expansion of the tourist flow, and promotion of export of domestic products. We expect concrete results from you in solving social and economic issues and the tasks set,» he said, focusing the attention of diplomats on the promotion of textile production and production of bottled water.
Akylbek Japarov stressed that if the work of foreign diplomatic institutions is not carried out at the proper level, the country’s leadership will make appropriate conclusions at the end of this year.
According to him, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the embassies of the Kyrgyz Republic were tasked with:
- Assistance in ensuring food security of the country;
- Attraction of investments, preferential loans, additional financial resources on preferential terms for creation of bilateral investment funds;
- Development of «export basket», taking into account the export potential of the republic;
- Implementation of an export promotion roadmap with specific targets for the end of 2022;
- Working out the issues of improving the visa policy, simplifying issuance of visas to citizens of countries, with which the country has established mutually beneficial cooperation;
- Reducing the time of processing of applications for tourist visas to at least 36 hours.
Recall, the ex-president Sooronbai Jeenbekov previously made similar demands to the Foreign Ministry.