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Press statements by President of Russia and President of Kyrgyzstan

November 26, 2025, Bishkek

Vladimir Putin and President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov made press statements following the Russian-Kyrgyz talks.

Earlier, the heads of state attended a ceremony held to exchange documents signed during the visit.

* * *

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov: Members of the press, ladies and gentlemen,

I once again cordially welcome President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on his state visit to the Kyrgyz Republic.

Mr President, it is symbolic that your visit is taking place in the year marking the 25th anniversary of the Declaration on Eternal Friendship, Alliance and Partnership between Russia and Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyz-Russian relations are based on the centuries-old friendship between our nations, close cultural and humanitarian ties, and a shared history. I would like to once again assure you of the Kyrgyz Republic’s unwavering commitment to strengthening our allied relations and historical partnership with the Russian Federation.

I would like to emphasise that our partnership serves our long-term national interests.

During our informal meetings yesterday, Mr Putin and I discussed a broad range of current issues on our agenda. We noted with pleasure the high level of Kyrgyz-Russian cooperation and conducted a detailed review of the implementation of all our agreements reached during our meeting in Moscow in July 2025.

Today, we discussed a broad range of issues during an expanded-format meeting, which was attended by the heads of our countries’ key ministries and departments and held in a traditionally trust-based atmosphere. We noted progress in many spheres and issued instructions regarding certain issues. Overall, I would like to say that we have a highly positive view of our bilateral cooperation at almost all levels. Our government bodies have been instructed to build up joint efforts in order to add new promising spheres to our bilateral agenda and identify new points of convergence of our interests.

A new package of bilateral documents covering education, healthcare, migration, security, economic, and military-technical cooperation has just been signed in your presence. I am pleased to note that the legal framework between our countries now comprises more than 400 documents. There is probably no other foreign country with which we have signed such a large number of interstate, intergovernmental, and interdepartmental agreements.

Naturally, we regard the joint statement on deepening relations of alliance and strategic partnership, which defines the principal areas of our future collaboration, as a central achievement of the talks. We highly value the traditionally close cooperation between our countries within international organisations and integration associations, including the UN, the CIS, the EAEU, the CSTO, and the SCO.

Our two nations share similar approaches to many key issues on the international and regional agenda. I would like to express my gratitude to the Russian side for the fruitful joint work during our presidency of the CSTO this year. We look forward to comparable cooperation during the Kyrgyz Republic’s forthcoming chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. We concur that the Russian air base in Kant is a vital component of the CSTO Collective Rapid Deployment Forces and a significant factor in maintaining regional stability in Central Asia.

Significant attention was also paid to trade and economic cooperation. I would like to underscore that Russia remains one of the Kyrgyz Republic’s principal trading partners, accounting for 22 percent of our total trade turnover. In other words, nearly a quarter of Kyrgyzstan’s foreign trade is conducted with Russia. We were pleased to note the progress being made towards our shared objective of reaching US$5 billion in mutual trade in the coming years.

Investment is of particular importance. Russian direct investment in the first half of this year alone amounted to US$110 million. We consistently welcome the interest of Russian businesses in the Kyrgyz market and are prepared to ensure a favourable operating environment for their success. According to our data, as of November 2025, more than 1,800 companies with Russian participation are operating in Kyrgyzstan, representing one-third of all foreign enterprises in the country.

In order to give this effort fresh momentum, we wholeheartedly support the initiative put forward by our Russian partners to establish an Association of Russian Investors in Kyrgyzstan. The association should become an effective platform for dialogue between our business communities, between Russian investors and the authorities of Kyrgyzstan.

We also discussed the results of the latest meeting of the Kyrgyz-Russian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Humanitarian Cooperation, which was recently held in Bishkek.

We highly assessed the performance of the Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund, one of the key drivers of our bilateral economic relations. Since its establishment, the Fund has invested over one billion dollars in Kyrgyzstan’s economy and has financed over 3,500 projects across all regions of the Republic. Taken together, its aggregate investment is twice as large as the Fund’s initial authorised capital. To date, the Fund is co-financing the construction of 14 hydropower and renewable energy facilities worth more than US$175 million.

We exchanged views on our cooperation within the Eurasian Development Bank and the Eurasian Fund for Stabilisation and Development.

We traditionally paid considerable attention to education, where we noted positive interaction as well. Over 16,000 Kyrgyz students are studying at Russian universities. The education of half of them is fully funded by the Russian side. We noted with satisfaction the large-scale plans for the scientific and technical modernisation of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University, a leading higher educational establishment in the Republic. The agreement signed today to build a new campus of the university has launched this important project.

We are consistently implementing a major socially significant initiative, which we have formulated together with Mr Putin, to build nine [Russian-language] schools, three of which are scheduled to open in 2027.

We maintain a careful attitude towards the Russian language, the language of not only Pushkin and Tolstoy but also our great writer Chingiz Aitmatov. The humanitarian project Russian Teacher Abroad, under which teachers from Russia teach Russian in schools across Kyrgyzstan, has proved to be in great demand.

Many projects of great importance for our social development are being implemented with support from Rossotrudnichestvo and ANO Eurasia. Eurasia Park, the largest family recreation park in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia, opened in Bishkek in August 2025 at the initiative and with full support from ANO Eurasia.

Acting on our instructions, Kyrgyzstan and Russia have started creating an educational space based on the integration of best practices of our countries’ educational systems.

We are actively developing and promoting cultural ties between our nations. Cross Culture Days were successfully held in Russia and Kyrgyzstan and were met with mutual admiration of the audiences. Kyrgyzstan’s House of Science and Culture in Moscow, which will open soon, will further strengthen our cultural ties. We are grateful to our Russian friends for their practical assistance in implementing this initiative.

We also discussed migration issues and reaffirmed our mutual interest in ensuring that our compatriots live in Russia legally and are guaranteed appropriate labour conditions and social benefits. We have also agreed to continue working in this vital sphere through our respective ministries.

Mr President, the results of your state visit to the Kyrgyz Republic allow us to look optimistically at the further development of Kyrgyz-Russian relations. I am confident that your visit has reaffirmed once again the special strength of the Kyrgyz-Russian alliance and strategic partnership and has given a powerful impetus to their further deepening.

It is with great pleasure that I am giving the floor to you, Mr President.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, ladies and gentlemen,

I would like, in turn, to thank the President of Kyrgyzstan for his invitation, and all our Kyrgyz colleagues for their hospitality and the warm welcome we have received. Special words of gratitude, Mr President, for yesterday’s informal evening, which afforded us the opportunity for a one-on-one discussion covering virtually all areas of our mutual interest and the development of our interstate relations.

I fully concur with Mr Japarov: today’s talks were highly productive and were held in a constructive spirit.

This is entirely consistent with the nature of genuinely friendly and neighbourly relations between Russia and Kyrgyzstan.

We held a detailed discussion on the entire spectrum of bilateral issues and exchanged views on pressing regional matters.

A significant outcome of this visit is the joint statement on taking Russian-Kyrgyz relations to a new, even more advanced level of deepened strategic partnership and alliance.

Furthermore, a package of intergovernmental and interagency documents was signed, aimed at expanding concrete, practical cooperation.

Naturally, priority during the talks was given to the further development of our economic cooperation. Last year, our bilateral trade reached a record high, exceeding US$4 billion. This year, the growth of mutual trade continues at a robust pace – around 17 percent. This is a commendable result.

We have all but ceased the use of foreign currencies in financial settlements and have established stable channels for credit and banking cooperation. The share of the ruble in commercial transactions has already reached 97 percent.

The Russian side is assisting Kyrgyzstan in enhancing its tax administration and system of goods marking. According to our estimates, this has already led to an increase in additional revenues to the Kyrgyz budget of more than US$1 billion.

Russia is a major investor in the Kyrgyz economy. Accumulated Russian investments amount to almost US$2 billion. Kyrgyzstan is home to around 1,700 business entities with Russian capital in key sectors such as energy, mining, agriculture, transport, and logistics. All this has been made possible thanks to the steady domestic policy pursued by the President of Kyrgyzstan and the nation’s internal political stability.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, ladies and gentlemen,

I would like, in turn, to thank the President of Kyrgyzstan for his invitation, and all our Kyrgyz colleagues for their hospitality and the warm welcome we have received. Special words of gratitude, Mr President, for yesterday’s informal evening, which afforded us the opportunity for a one-on-one discussion covering virtually all areas of our mutual interest and the development of our interstate relations.

I fully concur with Mr Japarov: today’s talks were highly productive and were held in a constructive spirit.

This is entirely consistent with the nature of genuinely friendly and neighbourly relations between Russia and Kyrgyzstan.

We held a detailed discussion on the entire spectrum of bilateral issues and exchanged views on pressing regional matters.

A significant outcome of this visit is the joint statement on taking Russian-Kyrgyz relations to a new, even more advanced level of deepened strategic partnership and alliance.

Furthermore, a package of intergovernmental and interagency documents was signed, aimed at expanding concrete, practical cooperation.

Naturally, priority during the talks was given to the further development of our economic cooperation. Last year, our bilateral trade reached a record high, exceeding US$4 billion. This year, the growth of mutual trade continues at a robust pace – around 17 percent. This is a commendable result.

We have all but ceased the use of foreign currencies in financial settlements and have established stable channels for credit and banking cooperation. The share of the ruble in commercial transactions has already reached 97 percent.

The Russian side is assisting Kyrgyzstan in enhancing its tax administration and system of goods marking. According to our estimates, this has already led to an increase in additional revenues to the Kyrgyz budget of more than US$1 billion.

Russia is a major investor in the Kyrgyz economy. Accumulated Russian investments amount to almost US$2 billion. Kyrgyzstan is home to around 1,700 business entities with Russian capital in key sectors such as energy, mining, agriculture, transport, and logistics. All this has been made possible thanks to the steady domestic policy pursued by the President of Kyrgyzstan and the nation’s internal political stability.

Our countries maintain close cooperation within the Eurasian Economic Union. Together with our fellow member states, we are building common markets for goods, services, capital, and labour. The advancement of Eurasian integration is delivering tangible dividends to all members, Kyrgyzstan included. To illustrate, in the decade since Kyrgyzstan acceded to the EAEU, its GDP has grown by 150 percent, while its exports to other Union countries have quadrupled.

As the President of Kyrgyzstan has just noted, Russia finances the Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund, which has channelled approximately US$1 billion into Kyrgyzstan, supporting more than 3,500 joint projects in the real economy.

Energy represents one of the most vital sectors of Russian-Kyrgyz collaboration. Our country fully meets Kyrgyzstan’s demand for petrol and diesel and does so on preferential terms, without levying export duties – a measure that provides direct economic benefit to the Republic.

Furthermore, Gazprom is a key supplier of natural gas to Kyrgyzstan and has joined the nation’s public gas supply programme. The Russian gas giant has allocated over US$400 million for this purpose, which has already provided 42 percent of the country with access to the gas network. This work is ongoing.

Russia also supplies electricity to Kyrgyz consumers. Our companies are engaged in the design and modernisation of hydroelectric power plants on Kyrgyz rivers. We plan to jointly construct a large solar power plant in the Issyk-Kul Region and a new, modern combined heat and power plant in the north of the country.

Concurrently, Rosatom is executing a broad reclamation programme for former uranium mining sites. We are also exploring the possibility of constructing Kyrgyzstan’s first nuclear power plant, utilising advanced Russian small modular reactor technologies. I must emphasise that these reactors meet the most stringent international standards for safety and environmental protection.

Russian-Kyrgyz humanitarian cooperation remains traditionally rich and multifaceted, with ties between our citizens continually strengthening.

Our collaboration extends robustly across culture, sport, public and youth organisations, and certainly education. More than 10,000 students from Kyrgyzstan are currently pursuing their studies in Russia; half of them, as the President noted, are studying in state-funded places.

Kyrgyzstan hosts branch campuses of several leading Russian universities. The Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University in Bishkek alone serves approximately 7,500 students. The intergovernmental agreement signed today includes plans to construct a new academic building and other infrastructure on the university campus.

And, of course, it is encouraging that, alongside Russia, the Russian language, which holds official status under the Constitution, is widely and freely used in Kyrgyzstan. We greatly value this, and we welcome the support provided by the Republic’s leadership for its use across various spheres of life.

It is symbolic that on the eve of our visit, the Eurasian Centre for Russian Language and Culture opened in Bishkek, and a new Russian-language television channel, Nomad TV, began broadcasting in Kyrgyzstan.

I would like to emphasise that Russia will continue supporting efforts to improve the quality of education in the Russian language. We regularly supply schools and universities with teaching materials, and more than 150 educators have been sent to Kyrgyzstan under the Russian Teacher Abroad programme. I believe, and Mr President has also mentioned this in the course of our interaction, including in our informal conversations, that this is still not enough. I fully agree with you.

In addition, we are helping build new Russian-language schools in Kyrgyzstan. The first three institutions are scheduled to open in 2027, and in total, nine such schools will be built in different regions of the country.

Naturally, President Japarov and I also discussed in detail the expansion of bilateral cooperation in the military and military-technical spheres. We outlined plans for joint efforts in countering terrorism and extremism, combating drug trafficking, and fighting organised crime.

Both sides noted that the joint Russian military base in Kyrgyzstan makes a significant contribution to strengthening the Republic’s defence capability and, more broadly, to ensuring security and stability in Central Asia.

When discussing current foreign policy issues, we acknowledged that our approaches are similar or fully align. Our countries closely coordinate their positions within multilateral formats, including the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

We look forward to welcoming Mr Japarov in St Petersburg at the end of December for the traditional informal meeting of CIS leaders and the session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.

In conclusion, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our Kyrgyz friends and Mr President for the constructive and productive discussions.

Our joint work with Mr Japarov will continue today, and tomorrow we will participate in the regular session of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation Council. As you know, Kyrgyzstan has successfully chaired the CSTO this year and will hand over this responsibility to Russia on January 1.

I am confident that this visit and our talks will contribute to the further development of the multifaceted Russian–Kyrgyz partnership, for the benefit of our peoples and our countries.

Thank you for your attention.

November 26, 2025, Bishkek