Mr. Ruslan Kazakbaev, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, held the meeting with Mr. Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) during his official visit to the United Arab Emirates.

For reference: The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) was established by the Government of Abu Dhabi in 1971 with a view to manage foreign aid programs. Since 2013, ADFD has not only been providing concessional loans to economic and social development projects in Abu Dhabi or the UAE in general, but also investing in the development of the economies of foreign partners.

While highly appreciating the great contribution of the Fund to the rapid development of the UAE, including reforms in the fields of public administration, digitalization and introduction of advanced technologies, Minister R.Kazakbaev expressed the interest of the Kyrgyz side in the active and direct representation of the Fund in Kyrgyzstan.

Having informed of the desire of the leaders of the two fraternal states to raise the Kyrgyz-Emirati bilateral relations to a qualitatively new level following the visit of the UAE government delegation headed by the UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Mr. Suhail Al-Mazrouei to the Kyrgyz Republic in September 2021 and visit by the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic Mr. Akylbek Zhaparov to the UAE within his participation in the opening of the National Pavilion and «Dubai EXPO-2020» December 14, 2022, the Foreign Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic discussed topical issues of increasing bilateral cooperation between the Kyrgyz Republic and Abu Dhabi Development Fund with a view of the further expansion of trade, economic and investment cooperation between the Kyrgyz Republic and UAE. In particular, among the range of issues, the attention of the Emirati side was drawn to the following substantive projects of potential cooperation.

1. The project of the State Mortgage Company (SMC) for the implementation of the project for the construction of affordable mortgage housing within the framework of state programs of the Kyrgyz Republic for a total amount of 300-500 million US dollars. Taking into account the preliminary readiness of the Emirati side to consider cooperation through the SEC, the Kyrgyz side handed over a package of documents on the above-mentioned project, and also emphasized the social significance of the project on a domestic scale, taking into account the support from the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Mr. Sadyr Zhaparov.

2. Given the significant potential of the UAE in the energy industry, cooperation in the development of small hydropower plants and renewable energy sources is suggested. It was emphasized that due to the limited financial resources and advanced technologies, the development of renewable energy in the Kyrgyz Republic needs external support; whereas, due to the fact that the Development Fund is the main sponsor in the Program of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) for financing projects in the field of renewable energy sources, the Kyrgyz side expressed a request to involve the potential of IRENA in the implementation of projects in this area in Kyrgyzstan .

3. Along with this, it was proposed to work together with the Abu Dhabi Development Fund on the implementation of a number of pilot investment projects in such promising areas as:

• Tourism and construction of hotel, resort and recreational facilities (construction of large facilities in the tourist area of Lake Issyk-Kul);

• Agribusiness and agriculture - processing of walnuts, beans in the Talas region, meat and milk, breeding of yaks (ecological meat and dairy products, wool), breeding of fish and poultry, production of agricultural feed, processing and canning of agricultural products in the regions of the Kyrgyz Republic;

• Construction of a network of trade and logistics centers in all regions of the Kyrgyz Republic.

In this context, a package of investment projects was submitted to the management of the Fund for consideration and the readiness of the Kyrgyz side was expressed to provide all possible assistance in creating favorable conditions for potential investors from the UAE.

General Director of the Abu Dhabi Development Fund, Mohammed Seif Al-Suwaydi, in his turn, while expressing gratitude for the high assessment of the activities of the Fund, stressed the interest in deepening the Kyrgyz-Emirate cooperation through the Fund headed by him. In this context, the Emirati side expressed its readiness to study the projects of the Kyrgyz side and send, at its request, the delegation of UAE experts to the Kyrgyz Republic for their substantive discussion. Emphasizing the importance of a favorable investment climate and providing effective incentives for potential investors, the Head of the Fund noted the possibility of mutually beneficial cooperation, where the Kyrgyz side should be provided with favorable conditions for investors, and the Emirati side could not only mobilize the Fund's loan and investment resources, but also attract potential investors through Fund lines. At the same time, the Fund's ability to directly finance projects in the field of tourism, taking into account the unique nature of the Kyrgyz Republic, and in the field of agribusiness, taking into account the desire of the Fund to implement projects aimed at developing growth points in various regions of the Kyrgyz Republic, was expressed.

At the end of the meeting, Minister R Kazakbaev invited the Head of ADFD Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi to visit the Kyrgyz Republic this year with his delegation to establish cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development and the practical implementation of a number of joint activities discussed during this fruitful meeting. 

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