14:28, 01 декабря 2017, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency
The Russian expert community continues to analyze the results of the first working visit of the new president of , Sooronbai Jeenbekov, to .
Experts note: during the election campaign, he staked on the fact that due to the working experience in various positions «he knows the processes much better than others and understands the concerns of the population of the country.» The new president of also stated that he would continue the policy of his predecessor Almazbek Atambayev, and would remain the main strategic partner.
Associate Professor of the Department of Political Science and Sociology of the Plekhanov Russian told 24.kg news agency about the perspectives of Kyrgyz-Russian relations after the change of power on November 24, 2017.
«It is symbolic that Sooronbai Jeenbekov made his first visit as president to . At the meeting in , the leaders of the two states discussed the entire range of bilateral relations. At the same time, Vladimir Putin noted that the countries have common approaches in various spheres — from the economy to security, and this partnership is successfully developing. In addition, this year is the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between and and the ratification of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation,» Oleg Glazunov said.
Russian-Kyrgyz relations are developing quite dynamically and at all levels — presidential, inter-parliamentary and interdepartmental ones.
is one of the largest trading partners of , the trade turnover between the two countries is almost $ 2 billion. In addition, Bishkek is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, and the country has Russian air base.
The population of the republic has a positive attitude towards . The bulk of Kyrgyz citizens speak Russian, and about 2,000 students go to study at the ’s higher education institutions each year. Experts call the one of the best universities in the country.
Of course, it is difficult to ignore the problem of the fight against terrorism, which has become a real threat to the modern world and as well as are making great efforts to fight against it. In August 2016 an explosion occurred at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of in Bishkek. The terrorist attack was committed by a member of the Islamic Movement of Eastern Turkestan.
There are no threats to state security yet, but there are many so-called sleeping cells of radical Islam in Kyrgyzstan, various religious centers have appeared. Madrasahs are being opened everywhere, new mosques are being built. They are already about 2,000 of them, whereas in Soviet times there were not more than 50.
Oleg Glazunov
Today, practical models of combating international terrorism and radical Islamism are being actively discussed between the two countries, especially in connection with the explosive situation in the Middle East and . And the Russian military base gives Bishkek the necessary security guarantees, which it badly needs.
Earlier, Vladimir Putin stressed: as soon as Bishkek announces that its own Armed Forces are sufficiently efficient, the Russian airbase will leave Kyrgyzstan.
Oleg Glazunov
As for economic relations, the is the most profitable and predictable trading partner for , unlike many CIS countries. According to experts, the accounts for one fifth of the total turnover of the republic.
exports to mainly textiles and clothing, agricultural products. , in its turn, supplies Bishkek with food products, metallurgical goods, oil products and equipment.
regularly receives free financial assistance from . According to the Russian Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic Andrey Krutko, only in 2017 allocated a grant of about $ 30 million to support the economy.
In addition, the Russian president signed an agreement between the countries on duty-free supplies of crude oil to the republic, which will allow Kyrgyz processing plants to operate at their full capacity. About 200 joint ventures work in the republic as well as the Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund.
According to experts from the Center for Advanced Studies, it is Russia that provides the largest support to the economy of Kyrgyzstan. The volume of aggregate aid to the country exceeded almost $ 3 billion.
It is necessary to separately say about remittances from labor migrants from , which since the beginning of 2017 amounted to almost $ 433 million and in comparison with the last year grew by 67 percent. In addition, due to the fact that more than 700,000 Kyrgyz citizens work in , the unemployment rate in the republic has significantly decreased.
It is possible that the political elite of Kyrgyzstan prefers to establish economic relations with Saudi Arabia, the European Union or the United States, but these countries are far from Kyrgyzstan, and the logistics problem is unlikely to be resolved in the near future. Bishkek’s interest in the Arabian monarchies is most likely caused by an attempt to find additional external funding for the republic’s economy.
But in the end, remains the main partner for , and Bishkek relations with in the coming years will be the most multifaceted and multilevel.
Relations with other countries will depend on various kinds of objective conditions and geographical features.
But the Russian political elite should not forget: if Russia can not fully provide economic assistance to Kyrgyzstan, the republic will reach out for other, more affluent countries.
Oleg Glazunov