Kyrgyzstan has every opportunity to attract investment
As reported by Delovaya Eurasia, the Russian Federation will organize the Eastern Economic Forum on September 3-6, 2025. One of the key issues on the agenda at the EEF is regional topics, where issues of interaction between Russia and Asian countries are raised. According to the organizers, by 2025, ties will rapidly deepen, and new projects and solutions will increasingly become the property of international interaction. The editorial board talked with economist, executive director of the International Business Council, Askary Sydykov about the possibilities of international and bilateral cooperation at the EEF-2025.
— Hello, Askar Sydykovich! We have repeatedly raised issues of international cooperation in the field of economics. Kyrgyzstan is a country located in the geographical center of Eurasia. How are foreign proposals in the form of dialogue platforms and summits convenient for domestic businesses?
— Hello! Yes, Kyrgyzstan has really been actively cooperating with the countries of Southeast Asia recently. These are, in particular, Vietnam, Malaysia, and other countries. Therefore, we hope that this event will be another impetus for projects in the construction sector, in the energy sector, agriculture, tourism, and processing of all agricultural products. And in industry, in all their spheres, such cooperation is underway. This is generally a promising region, very fast-growing, which is attracting the attention of countries from all over the world, both developed and developing. Therefore, of course, it is important for us to maintain and increase cooperation with the countries of Southeast Asia.
— What projects in this region can be singled out as promising for joint implementation, as Kyrgyz projects abroad. It is very rare to hear news about how a businessman from Talas or Batken, or from another region of Kyrgyzstan, invests in or establishes an overseas project.
— In this regard, what potential do we have for creating some projects. In the same Far East, perhaps, or even in distant corners. For example, if we take the service sector, or public catering, then there is an example of a business in the catering sector in Vietnam - this is "DoDo Pizza". This is a Russian franchise that opened here, and these guys began to expand from here further, and they work quite successfully. If we talk about other industrial enterprises that left and expanded, we can name a Vietnamese construction company. It is engaged in the construction of residential and load-bearing complexes, this is a large project.
- Question, in 2014, an agreement was signed on the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union, in 2015, Kyrgyzstan officially joined this large association. A distinctive feature of this international organization is the ability to implement some important initiatives for countries, and they subsequently become the norm for all participating countries. In this regard, how are such platforms as the Eastern Economic Forum convenient for our foreign economic direction? Here it is appropriate to note the establishment of friendly relations at the highest level, represented by the top leadership of our country, and business, which can lobby for some interests of Kyrgyzstan on such platforms.
— At such summits, forums, you can directly meet with those partners with whom, perhaps, there was correspondence or negotiations online, exchange of information, documents. You can meet everyone in person, talk in an informal setting, and already plan specific cooperation. Moreover, without scheduling a separate meeting, you can meet with dozens, hundreds of companies, meet potential and existing partners, discuss issues, and plan further steps. For this, such forums are, of course, useful. There are government agencies, and business, and you can even communicate with journalists and discuss all this.
— At one time, Kyrgyz economist Djumakadyr Akeneev considered an investment scheme for domestic business and the economy. He proposed to evaluate all industrial and material capital that was available in the country at that time, it was 2018. According to his estimates, the total cost was about $ 4 billion. It was proposed to present this volume as a guarantor and security for foreign investment. What is the potential for investment in the Kyrgyz Republic today? Can such a scheme work?
— Kyrgyzstan has quite a large potential, as evidenced by economic growth data, and the interest of investors from a variety of countries from near and far abroad, who are constantly coming, and their number is growing. They are more interested in different industries, including those for which there was no such interest before. Therefore, yes, the potential is large.
As for the assessment of industrial capital, it is necessary to understand what period we are talking about - in the 90s or in the 2000s, and also what formula was used to make the calculations. And, as a rule, investments are not issued on bail, but are attracted, and investors invest at their own risk. Usually in such cases, the country guarantees security, rules of the game, and compliance with these rules. Kyrgyzstan has something to say and offer on this issue.
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