On February 2, 2024, a meeting of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kyrgyz Republic to Sri Lanka Askar Beshimov and the state minister for Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka Tharaka Balasuriya.

During the meeting, Ambassador A. Beshimov noted that the Kyrgyz side attaches great importance to the comprehensive development of friendly relations with Sri Lanka.

The parties emphasized that cooperation between the Kyrgyz Republic and Sri Lanka is fruitfully developing within the framework of multilateral organizations. The countries have a common and deep mutual understanding on issues of multilateral cooperation in the international arena.

Particular attention was paid to the possibilities of trade and economic cooperation. The parties agreed that the existing potential of bilateral trade relations is not fully used, primarily due to geographical remoteness and difficulties in establishing transport and communication links.

Ambassador A.Beshimov briefly informed about the investment potential of the Kyrgyz Republic. Possible cooperation in the mini-hydroelectric power plant construction sector was of particular interest. T. Balasuriya noted Sri Lanka’s vast experience in the construction and operation of mini-hydroelectric power plants and expressed the readiness of the Sri Lankan side to share experience in this sector.

The parties agreed to maintain contacts to strengthen and expand bilateral cooperation in all aspects.

Also, on February 2, 2024, Ambassador A. Beshimov met with the Chairman of the Board of “CEC Group” Ashok Randeni.

During the meeting, the possibilities of attracting Sri Lankan investments to Kyrgyzstan were discussed. In particular, A. Randeni expressed his readiness to invest 25-30 million US dollars in joint projects for the construction of hotels, guest houses, agricultural processing and tourism.

The parties agreed to organize a visit of the “CEC Group” business delegation to Kyrgyzstan in the first half of 2024 to establish direct business contacts and conclude relevant agreements.

For reference: CEC Group is one of the leading group of companies in Sri Lanka in the construction, tourism and agriculture sectors.