Kyrgyzstan, World Bank debate population’s vaccination, other co-op issues

Bishkek, March 2, 2021 / Kabar /. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan Ruslan Kazakbaev met on Monday with Lilia Burunciuc, the Regional Director for the Central Asia Region at the World Bank. The press service of the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry said that during the meeting, the minister expressed gratitude for the support provided in the social and economic development of the country, as well as informed the World Bank delegation about the internal political processes taking place in the country and the reforms initiated/planned. "The sides also discussed priorities of the Kyrgyz Republic’s development and strategic areas of cooperation with the World Bank, issues of diversification of the country’s external public debt portfolio and assistance of the World Bank in combating the COVID-19 pandemic," the report says. Besides, issues of vaccination of the republic’s population, preparation for the First Economic Forum “European Union-Central Asia”, creation of regional projects on certification of products and quality systems (veterinary and phytosanitary standards) were touched upon. In turn, Lilia Burunciuc said the World Bank is interested in supporting the initiative of the Kyrgyz Republic in such priority areas as vaccination of the population, development of regions of the country and improving access to water services. As a result of the meeting, the parties agreed to focus efforts on cooperation of the Kyrgyz Republic with the World Bank Group on projects aimed at improving socio-economic development of the republic with an emphasis on "green economy" and the implementation of regional economic projects that contribute to the creation of value chains and employment. The meeting was also attended by World Bank Country Manager for Kyrgyzstan Hassan Naqvi.