Kyrgyzstan ready for Turkic Council

BISHKEK - Anatolia News Agency

Kyrgyzstan is preparing for the second summit meeting of the Turkic Council, scheduled to take place in its capital of Bishkek tomorrow.

The summit will be attended by the presidents of Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, Nurjigit Kadirbekov, a spokesperson for the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry, said in a press conference yesterday. A meeting between the foreign ministers of the four countries is set to take place today prior to the summit, he said.

Touching on Kyrgyz-Turkish relations, Kadirbekov said Turkey was the first country to recognize the independence of Kyrgyzstan. Between 1992 and 2012, Turkey provided more than $450 million to Kyrgyztan, Kadirbekov said.

“The Turkish International Cooperation Agency [TİKA] has provided $30 million to various projects in Kyrgyzstan in the last 20 years. In 2011, the Turkish government provided a grant of $20 million to the government of Kyrgyzstan. Turkey has also provided $11 million for projects in southern Kyrgyzstan, and canceled $51 million of debt that Kyrgyzstan owed to Turkey,” Kadirbekov said. “In the last 13 years, Turkey has provided [Kyrgyzstan with] military technical assistance worth $4.4 million. Turkey will also make financial contributions to reform efforts in the Kyrgyz Armed Forces.”