AKIPRESS.COM - The meeting of EU Kyrgyzstan Sub-Committee on Development took place for the second time in Bishkek on 4 April.

This is the annual meeting during which representatives of the European Union and the Kyrgyz Republic take stock of the on-going cooperation in several areas, in particular: education with the support to the education sector reform; rule of law, with the support to the judiciary reform and the electoral reform; Integrated rural development, with the support to the social protection reform, the development of agro value chains and tourism in Jalal-Abad; as well as upcoming support to integrated water resource management, the EU Delegation said.

All the programmes are part of the EU's bilateral development cooperation in the framework of the Multi Annual Indicative Programme for the Kyrgyz Republic (2014-2020), with a total budget of 174 million Euros.

The partners also discussed the additional grants which Kyrgyzstan is receiving from the Investment Facility for Central Asia (IFCA) for the needs in municipal infrastructure, for provision of drinking water, waste water and waste management in 12 cities. The recent decision on grants for new investments for drinking water in eight villages was appreciated by the Kyrgyz side. These grants allow the EBRD to provide loans to the Kyrgyz authorities and to implement the important priorities of the country. The Kyrgyz Republic is the largest beneficiary of IFCA grant funding in Central Asia with the amount of 129 million Euros. A new grant of 30 million Euros for support to digital transformation is under discussion.

In addition, EU presented some of the new regional programmes for economic development and trade facilitation, which will soon be available for Kyrgyzstan.

It was acknowledged that the EU priorities and programmes are fully aligned with the strategic priorities of the Kyrgyz government highlighted in the National Development Strategy for 2018-2040, National Development Programme for 2018-2022 and programme of the government "Unity, Trust, Creation".

The sides also agreed on the mutual interest to deepen and widen the bilateral cooperation. In this regard the ongoing negotiations on Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement is a priority. The EU representatives also briefed the Kyrgyz side on the new EU – Central Asia Strategy that will be adopted later this year and will set the strategic framework for the EU's future engagement with the region.

Prior to the Subcommittee for Development, the representatives of the European Union had working meetings with the Minister of Education Gulmira Kudaiberdieva and the Minister of Finance Baktygul Jeenbaeva.

EU confirmed its commitment to support the Kyrgyz authorities in their reform efforts to ensure sustainable political, economic and social development in the Kyrgyz Republic, for the benefit of its citizens.