Calmy-Rey wraps Central Asia trip in Kyrgyzstan
Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey on Friday met Kyrgyz Prime Minister Igor Chudinov on the last stop of a five-day tour of Central Asia.
The talks, which included a meeting with the country’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, focused on reviewing bilateral relations.
The two sides also discussed cooperation in the Bretton Woods voting group headed by Switzerland.
In a statement, the Swiss foreign ministry said “prospects are currently favourable for the further development of economic and trade relations.” Kyrgyzstan was one of the first post-Soviet states to establish diplomatic and trade agreements with Switzerland.
Switzerland has accords on investment protection and double taxation with Kyrgyzstan, the only Central Asian state belonging to the World Trade Organization.
Calmy-Rey also discussed the issue of water resource management, one of the primary goals in the region for Switzerland’s development agency.
The two countries established a partnership on technical cooperation 15 years ago.
The foreign minister’s trip included stops in Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
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