Kazakhstan Offers Tariff Benefits for Kyrgyzstan's Exports

Kazakhstan is ready to provide tariff benefits for the export and transit of Kyrgyzstan's goods, while Kyrgyzstan will supply Kazakhstan with over 600 million cubic meters of irrigation water, Orda.kz reports.

Negotiations took place in Astana between Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister, Serik Zhumangarin, and Kyrgyzstan’s Deputy Chair of the Cabinet of Ministers, Bakyt Torobayev.

 The two officials discussed a range of economic issues.

One of the proposals is for Kazakhstan to offer benefits on the transit and export of socially significant goods. This would involve lowering tariffs for the primary railway network services, making Kyrgyzstan's products more accessible to Kazakhstan's consumers.

In addition, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan are establishing a “green corridor” for agricultural products:

Within the framework of the agreements reached, Kyrgyz Agroholding OJSC, together with the Trade Committee and Kaztrade JSC of Kazakhstan, will closely cooperate to determine the list and volumes of agricultural products intended for export within the 'green corridor,'
the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic commented. 

They also discussed oil supplies and the creation of a working group to simplify migration procedures, although specific details on these topics have not yet been announced.

Beyond trade and economic cooperation, water resources continue to be a key area of collaboration.

This year, Kyrgyzstan will send Kazakhstan more than 600 million cubic meters of irrigation water to support agricultural fields in the Jambyl region. The Ministers of water resources reached this agreement from both countries, Nurzhan Nurzhigitov and Bakyt Torobayev.

Torobayev also serves as Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Agriculture and Processing Industry.

Since the beginning of the irrigation season in April, 45 million cubic meters of water have already been supplied. Starting from the end of April, the Kyrgyz Republic will send another 400 million cubic meters of water along the Talas River and 180 million cubic meters along the Shu River to Kazakhstan,
calculated by the Ministry of Waters of the Republic of Kazakhstan. 

Nurzhigitov noted that, thanks to joint efforts last year, the countries exceeded their planned water supply targets: 418 million cubic meters were delivered via the Talas River (instead of the predicted 380 million cubic meters), and 165.3 million cubic meters were delivered via the Shu River.

Recently, it was also reported that Kyrgyzstan proposed the idea of creating a Central Asian equivalent of the Schengen visa.

Original Author: Alina Pak

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