Kyrgyz Ambassador to MNA:

Iran SCO membership to strengthen ties in various fields

Iran's membership in the SCO will strengthen and expand political, trade and economic, scientific and cultural cooperation, as well as cooperation in education, transportation, communications, Kyrgyz Ambassador to Tehran says.

News ID: ۲۰۰۰۸۷۷

20 February 2025

EghtesadOnline: The following is the full text of the interview of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kyrgyz Republic to the Islamic Republic of Iran H.E. Mr. Turdakun Sydykov with Mehr New Agency regarding the latest developments between Tehran and Bishkek.

1. Mr. Ambassador, as the first question, I would like to ask you about Iran's status in Kyrgyzstan's foreign policy - what does Bishkek think of Tehran?

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Kyrgyz Republic and the Islamic Republic of Iran on May 10, 1992, cooperation between our countries has been developing on the basis of mutual trust and respect. There are no disputes between our countries. Iran was one of the first countries in the world to officially support and recognize the State independence and sovereignty of the Kyrgyz Republic. Kyrgyzstan and Iran have managed to build friendly, trusting relations and establish mutually beneficial cooperation in various spheres - political, economic, cultural and humanitarian.

Of course, Kyrgyzstan is interested in further development of friendly relations with Iran, as well as the implementation of the existing potential of bilateral cooperation, first of all, in priority areas for the both parties as trade, economic and investment cooperation, as well as cooperation within the framework of regional and international organizations.

2. Given the recent meeting of the Kyrgyz Prime Minister with Mr. Aref, Iran’s first VP, and his emphasis on expanding relations between the two countries, especially in the economic field, what do you think is the potentials in the relations between the two countries to deepen and expand their cooperation?

As I have already noted, there is a huge potential for bilateral cooperation between our countries, which, unfortunately, has not been sufficiently realized. The development and strengthening of political, trade and economic, transit and transportation, cultural and humanitarian cooperation is one of the most important tasks for both Kyrgyzstan and Iran. The recent meeting of the heads of government of our countries only confirms this fact. Indeed, this is not the first meeting of the heads of government of Kyrgyzstan and Iran. In October 2023, within the framework of the meeting of heads of government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries in Bishkek, the Chairman of the Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers A. Zhaparov met with the First Vice-President of Iran M. Mokhber, and in the same month of 2024 Chairman of the Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers met with the Iranian First Vice-President M. R. Aref on the margins of the meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in Yerevan (Armenia), during of which they discussed the issues of bilateral trade and economic cooperation, regular meetings of the Joint Governmental Commission, expansion of transit-transport corridors in the context of the use of Iran's seaports, increasing exports of agricultural products to Iran and other topical issues.

3. To what extent can the interactions between the two countries within the framework of regional and international organizations such as the Eurasian Economic Union and Shanghai Cooperation Organization facilitate the enhancement of economic relations between the two countries?

We attach great importance to the economic engagement of Iran through interaction with various regional organizations. For example, with the support of the Kyrgyz Republic and the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), a Free Trade Agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and the Islamic Republic of Iran was signed in St. Petersburg on December 25, 2023. Also, the Kyrgyz Republic was one of the first to support the initiative to grant Iran observer status in the EAEU. As is known, the relevant document was signed on December 26 last year in St. Petersburg.

Thus, a duty-free trade regime and favorable conditions for the entry of both agricultural and industrial goods to the Iranian market and vice versa are ensured.

The EAEU interaction provides an opportunity for Iran's cooperation with the Kyrgyz Republic and EAEU countries on the elimination of technical barriers, application of sanitary and phytosanitary measures, customs cooperation, etc.

As for cooperation between the Kyrgyz Republic and Iran within the framework of the SCO, I would also like to note that our country was among the first to support the membership of Iran in this Organization. Iran's membership in the SCO, which is the largest in the world, whose member countries comprise more than 34 million square kilometers, in other words, 60% of the territory of Eurasia with a population of more than 3 billion people will strengthen and expand political, trade and economic, scientific and cultural cooperation, as well as cooperation in education, transportation, communications, etc. It is necessary to note the importance of interaction between the countries on issues of regional security and the fight against terrorism.

4. It seems that the relations between the two countries are limited to some economic matters and the two sides do not know each other well. What Kyrgyzstan's performance in this regard? Do you think that Bishkek has done enough to familiarize its people with Iran?

I am sure that the work to increase the awareness of a country, its features, culture, history, civilization and people should always be carried out. To date, the peoples of our two brotherly countries are still not sufficiently aware of each other. For example, many Iranians do not know about the Kyrgyz and Kyrgyzstan, despite our many thousands of years of history and culture. They often confuse us with neighboring countries in Central Asia, such as Kazakhstan, for example. The Kyrgyz, in turn, confuse Iran with Iraq, or associate it with other countries in the Middle East region. Nevertheless, the Embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic in Iran is actively working to attract tourists to this beautiful country like Iran so that they can familiarize themselves with the rich culture and enjoy the historical monuments, applied arts and folk art of Iran. This year we are planning to organize a visit of Iranian delegation to Kyrgyzstan, which will include major travel companies, journalists and famous bloggers. Also, at the end of February this year, a meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Regional Planning Council will be held, with the attendance of a delegation from the Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic. We plan to organize a briefing for the press, representatives of tour operators and airlines in Iran, as well as famous Iranian bloggers. I am convinced that the implementation of the plans outlined contributes to increasing the level of recognition among our peoples and will increase the tourist flow between Kyrgyzstan and Iran.

5. What role do you consider for culture and media cooperation in creating more understanding and familiarity between the two countries?

Undoubtedly, culture and art play a huge role in the acquaintance between our countries. In this context, I would like to mention the participation of our full-length and short films in various film festivals in Iran, which has already become a tradition. Last year, a delegation of Kyrgyz film distributors visited Iran to establish cooperation on joint production of film series as well as screening of films in cinemas of the two countries. In December 2024, the troupe of the Kyrgyz State Puppet Theater visited Iran visited Iran to participate in the 20th International Puppet Festival, where they presented the performance “Er Toshtuk”. And in January of the current 2025, in Tehran, the performance “Bugu Ene” was shown by the theater troupe of the Kyrgyz State Youth Theater “Uchur”, which took part in the 43rd International Theater Festival “Fajr”.

Of course, the role of the media cannot be overlooked. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen interaction and cooperation between the media of the two countries, as well as more frequent meetings between the Embassy and representatives of various news agencies. The Kyrgyz Embassy in Tehran has good working relations with representatives of such Iranian media as Mehr News, Iran Daily, Tehran Times, Tasnim News, World Trade Newspaper and others. Since December 2014, the regional office of the Iranian news agency “Fars” has been operating in Kyrgyzstan. / Mehr