Kyrgyzstan, Portugal to consider co-op in use of water resources

Bishkek, Dec. 3, 2021 . / Kabar / . Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan Ruslan Kazakbaev met on Thursday with his Portuguese counterpart Augusto Santos Silva. The press service of the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry reported that the meeting of the two ministers took place on the margins of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Stockholm. During the meeting, the sides discussed current issues of bilateral cooperation and stressed the need to intensify political, trade and economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation. The ministers also debated a plan of joint activities on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2022 and a road map for their further intensification. Ruslan Kazakbaev outlined the importance of expanding the legal and contractual framework between the two countries, and in this regard, handed over a package of draft bilateral agreements with a proposal for their signing. The Portuguese side positively noted Kyrgyzstan's initiative to hold the First European Union - Central Asia Economic Forum. In this context, Minister Silva supported the proposal of the Kyrgyz side to organize a joint business forum in the near future, as well as invited the parties to cooperate in the use of water resources. In this regard, the upcoming UN Ocean Conference to be held in Lisbon was noted. The foreign minister of Portugal also accepted the invitation to visit Kyrgyzstan.