Touching upon the issue of financial and technical cooperation, the head of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov asked the German side to provide support in the issue of return of Kyrgyzstan to the list of Germany’s partner countries for financial and technical cooperation. He stated this after the negotiations with Federal President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Sadyr Japarov thanked Germany for the conversion of the debt of €14.9 million. This money is directed to mortgage lending to residents living in the regions of the republic, mainly from the least vulnerable social group.
«Germany was the first to show readiness for the conversion of the external debt of Kyrgyzstan and showed a vivid example to other states. We greatly appreciate your kind gesture. In this regard, I would like to propose to the German side to consider the possibility of exchange of the external debt for the implementation of projects in the field of ecology,» the President said.
He also noted that every year the number of Kyrgyzstanis who are actively interested in Germany and learning the German language is growing. He suggested considering the simplification of visa procedures for citizens of the country intending to study and work in Germany.
In his speech, Sadyr Japarov stressed the interest of Kyrgyzstan in the effective implementation of the German Green Central Asia initiative, taking into account the growing challenges and threats in the mountainous region against the backdrop of global climate change.
«Now we are implementing a green economy development program; a Green Energy Development Fund has been created, and dozens of projects are underway to build medium and small hydropower plants. We propose to consider the possibility of investing in green projects in the Kyrgyz Republic. Their joint implementation could contribute to the economic development of the country while simultaneously achieving climate and environmental goals under the Paris Agreement,» he stressed.
The head of state also noted the Kyrgyz side has been working with the European Union to sign an agreement on enhanced partnership and cooperation since 2019. Kyrgyzstan is ready to sign the document and is waiting for a signal of readiness from the EU.
«According to the latest information, the document will be ready by the end of this year. In our opinion, the process is somewhat delayed. We would like to ask Germany’s assistance as an EU member state in accelerating this process, as well as its subsequent ratification,» Sadyr Japarov concluded.
