Kyrgyzstan can invest in CPEC SEZs: Envoy

Gwadar Pro

Islamabad: Ambassador Republic of Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan Ulanbek Totuiaev has said that his country can invest in the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

In a meeting with prominent businessperson and former president of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce (ICCI) Zafar Bakhtawari and Ahsan Bakhtawari here at the embassy of Kyrgyzstan, the envoy said regional economic and trade integration through the connectivity with Central Asian Republics (CARs) was key to the development and prosperity in the whole region.

He said the CPEC SEZs were a good option for the foreign and local investors.  The ambassador added that peace and socio- political harmony in Afghanistan was significant for prosperity throughout the region, which Kyrgyzstan has also dreamed of, including all countries in the region.

The Kyrgyz ambassador said Kyrgyzstan would hold a business forum in the coming month of September in which a 20-member delegation of businessmen and investors from Kyrgyzstan would come to discuss business-to-business relations with the local business community. “It would also include heads of government institutions and people from various sectors, which would help promote investment,” he said adding this forum was a milestone for the promotion of trade in the region.

Ambassdor Ulanbek Totuiaev said the current circumstances raised hopes for an improvement in the situation in Afghanistan, would have a positive economic and political impact on the entire region, including Central Asian countries. He said the incumbent Kyrgyz government, under the leadership of President Sadye Japarov, wanted to make a potential start in trade and economic relations with all countries in the region, including Pakistan. “Under this vision, cooperation between the two countries in all economic sectors would be enhanced, he said. The Kyrgyz government has set up a “Counsel for Investment and Cooperation” to promote trade relations and investment in the region. This will play its role in providing all kinds of support and protection to foreign investors,” Ulanbek Totuiaev said.

Regarding investment in his own country, the envoy said Kyrgyz government “assures every possible protection to foreign investment.”  Kyrgyzstan, he said, has vast opportunities for investment in energy, agriculture, mining and minerals. The Ambassador said Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan also have vast trade opportunities in various sectors, including agriculture, horticulture and honey.

Speaking on the occasion, Zafar Bakhtawari suggested that air travel between Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan needed to be facilitated and flight operations should be enhanced.  Bakhtawari assured all possible cooperation for the business forum to be organized by Kyrgyz embassy in Islamabad in September.

He said peace in Afghanistan would open new avenues of economic and trade cooperation for the countries of the region, including Central Asia, which is rich in natural resources.