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Putin hails trade surge at talks with Kyrgyz president

Russian-Kyrgyz trade has grown by 32% in the first three quarters of the year

MOSCOW, November 29. /TASS/. Russian-Kyrgyz trade has grown by approximately 30% while Kyrgyzstan’s food imports to Russia have doubled, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday at his meeting with Kyrgyz counterpart Sooronbay Jeenbekov.

Putin congratulated Jeenbekov on his election as president and mentioned as very "pleasant" the fact that Jeenbekov was visiting Russia on his first foreign trip. Putin recalled that Kyrgyzstan had joined the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) during Jeenbekov’s term in office as prime minister.

"After this [accession to the EAEU], Kyrgyzstan’s trade with the Union’s countries has rocketed. Following last year’s slight decline, we see a 32% increase in the first three quarters of the current year while imports of your produce have doubled. These are good indicators," Putin said hoping for further development of the two countries’ economic cooperation.

Putin is convinced that Russia and Kyrgyzstan would enhance cooperation in other fields, including security. On Thursday, November 30, both heads of state will attend a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military alliance of six post-Soviet states, in Moscow.

In the meantime, Jeenbekov called symbolic the fact that he was paying his first visit to Moscow.

"We show by this that we are determined to bolster our relations," Kyrgyzstan’s president said assuring he would exert every effort to boost the relations of alliance and partnership with Russia.

Jeenbekov said that after the uprising in 2010 Kyrgyzstan under former President Almazbek Atambayev had managed to restore peace and stability and achieve a sustainable growth.

"We see in this Russia’s large achievement and your personal achievement. We, the Kyrgyz people, appreciate this assistance and support," he told Putin. "Russia will be our priority [in cooperation]," he concluded.