16:11, 25 ноября 2024, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency , Maria ORLOVA
Trade turnover between Kyrgyzstan and Russia did not decrease this year, but, on the contrary, increased. The Russian Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic Sergei Vakunov said at a meeting with journalists.
The diplomat was asked how the fact that Kyrgyz banks joined the sanctions affects cooperation between Russia and the Kyrgyz Republic and the EAEU as a whole.
«To begin with, I would like to clarify that Kyrgyz banks are forced to take such measures, because otherwise they would be deprived of SWIFT and economic life would stop. This is a forced measure,» he noted and said that financial transactions with those Russian banks that were not sanctioned continue.
According to Sergei Vakunov, in the first seven months of 2024, compared to the same period last year, trade turnover between the two countries increased by almost 27 percent.
«This shows that trade is developing. More than 90 percent of trade transactions between our countries are carried out in rubles. Neither Kyrgyzstan nor Russia are violating any laws in this case,» he added.