BISHKEK (TCA) — Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambayev will pay an official visit to Brussels on February 16 to hold talks with the highest EU leadership, Head of Delegation of the European Union to the Kyrgyz Republic, Ambassador Cesare De Montis told a press conference in Bishkek last week.
Ambassador De Montis said that the sides will discuss a new Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation, which is to replace the existing one signed in 1995. Besides, during the visit the Kyrgyz President would sign a Memorandum of Understanding on the EUR 13 million worth project aimed to support judicial reform in Kyrgyzstan.
Ambassador De Montis also said that a delegation of the European Parliament will arrive in Kyrgyzstan on February 20 to meet with local officials and Kyrgyz legislators. In May-June 2017 Bishkek will host a meeting of the High Level Security and Political Dialogue with participation of the EU and Central Asian countries.
The Head of EU Delegation also stressed that Kyrgyz exports to the European Union notably increased at least by 50 percent thanks to the GSP+ status granted to the country by the EU in the beginning of 2016. Yet, there are a lot of obstacles and difficulties for Kyrgyzstan to overcome in this regard, including the certification of the products, construction of new testing laboratories and improving existing ones.
Ambassador De Montis reminded that a technical mission of European experts is currently working in Kyrgyzstan to assess the state of play with the GSP+. The mission will work for two weeks with a final report to be produced afterwards and submitted to the Kyrgyz Government and the EU Delegation.
