The purpose of the visit to Kyrgyzstan was to identify business opportunities for Swiss firms, to foster relations with Kyrgyzstan as a member of the same voting groups in the World Bank and the IMF, and to see whether the support provided under Switzerland’s development cooperation program is relevant and effective.

Over the years, Switzerland has provided around CHF 370 million in grants to support the transition of the Kyrgyz Republic to a functioning democratic system and a sustainable market economy. The “Swiss Cooperation Strategy for Central Asia 2017-2021” foresees a total budget of about CHF 100 million for Kyrgyzstan for five years. Support to the Kyrgyz government in improving the business climate and to the Kyrgyz private sector to develop and create jobs is an important endeavour of the Swiss cooperation program in Kyrgyzstan.

During his visit, Minister Johann N. Schneider-Ammann met with the Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic - Mr. Muhammedkalyi Abylgaziev, the Minister of Finance – Mr. Adylbek Kasymaliev, and with the Deputy Minister of Economy – Mr. Eldar Abakirov.

During its stay in Bishkek, the Swiss delegation met with representatives of the Kyrgyz private sector, as well as the Swiss business community in Kyrgyzstan. The Swiss Minister visited a local company that benefited from the support of the Swiss Cooperation under the Small Business Initiative Program. This program helps small and medium-sized enterprises to get access to financial and advisory services, which will improve their performance and enable them to grow further and create jobs.

Swiss and Kyrgyz representatives had constructive discussions on topics of mutual interest, in particular on the opportunities and challenges for the Kyrgyz economy in the context of regional initiatives like the Eurasian Economic Union and the Belt and Road Initiative. Swiss foreign direct investments – mainly in tourism, dairy and services – so far remain modest, but members of the delegation noted that they could increase provided international quality and sanitary standards and other issues could be addressed. In this regard, Minister Schneider-Ammann stressed that Switzerland stands ready to provide support to Kyrgyzstan in strengthening its national quality system and in enhancing trade facilitation.

Before coming to Kyrgyzstan, the Swiss delegation visited Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.

Switzerland during the conference made a pledge for a total of € 2 million. 

“The inherited legacy of highly toxic and radioactive waste originating from uranium mining in the last century imposes an imminent threat to parts of the population and to the environment in the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Such a contamination may have transboundary consequences and affect the health and living conditions of the population.

We welcome the efforts, which have been undertaken in recent years by the Kyrgyz, Tajik and Uzbek authorities in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the European Commission, Russia, the EBRD and others in order to develop a Master Plan and carrying out feasibility and environmental impact assessments.

Handling this dangerous legacy is both a regional and a global responsibility.

The successful implementation of the projects depend on a number of crucial elements:

(1) the ownership and active involvement of local authorities and the population;

(2) the quality of the monitoring;

(3) and the careful cooperation and coordination with other actors on the ground, like for instance the actors involved in the Aral Sea Conference.

Switzerland will pay great attention to these elements.

Switzerland will be able to contribute with a total amount of € 2 million to the Environmental Remediation Account”.