Kyrgyzstan, China discuss possibility of opening flights between countries

Bishkek, Nov. 25, 2020 / Kabar /. The government of Kyrgyzstan is interested in further building up trade, economic and investment cooperation with the People's Republic of China, Acting Prime Minister, First Vice Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic Artem Novikov said during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Du Dewen. Acting prime minister expressed his gratitude to the Chinese side for the continued support in the fight against the spread of coronavirus infection. “Relations between our countries are based on the principles of friendship, partnership and good-neighborliness,” Artem Novikov noted. Ambassador Du Dewen said that the Government of the People's Republic of China has made a decision to provide another humanitarian aid to fight coronavirus infection, which will be delivered to the Kyrgyz Republic in the near future. The sides discussed topical issues of Kyrgyz-Chinese trade and investment cooperation. “China is one of our key trade and investment partners. The government is ready to ensure the protection of Chinese investments and is aimed at further building up mutually beneficial trade, economic and investment cooperation. I myself, as a co-chairman of the intergovernmental Kyrgyz-Chinese commission on trade and economic cooperation, ready to meet with representatives of Chinese business to discuss issues of investment cooperation,” assured Artem Novikov. On the issue of the full functioning of the Torugart and Irkeshtam checkpoints on the Kyrgyz-Chinese section of the state border, Ambassador Du Dewen informed about the current epidemiological situation in the Kashgar region of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of the PRC. The Kyrgyz side proposed to consider the possibility of resuming the work of these checkpoints, which will contribute to an increase in the volume of passage of freight vehicles as usual in strict accordance with sanitary requirements. The participants of the meeting agreed on the need to search for mutually acceptable solutions to the situation. The sides also exchanged views on the possible restoration of air traffic between the two countries based on the organization of weekly civil and charter flights.