Russia remains Kyrgyzstan’s strategic partner with $5 billion trade volume

KAZAN, May 15. /TASS/. Trade between Kyrgyzstan and Russia amounts to $5 billion, and Russia remains one of the strategic partners of Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz First Deputy Prime Minister Daniyar Amangeldiyev said. "Russia remains one of our strategic partners in our trade and economic balance. The volume of our trade [with Russia] is about $5 billion. Our overall trade stands at some $16 billion, and Russia holds the lion's share," Amangeldiyev told TASS on the sidelines of the 17th International Economic Forum "Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum." According to him, Kyrgyzstan plays a key role in ensuring the transport connectivity of the Eurasian continent with the countries of the Persian Gulf. This role will be enhanced by the construction of a railway connecting Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. This transportation link, he continued, opens up transit potential for Kyrgyzstan and gives an impetus to the country's further development. Amangeldiyev pointed out that the Republic of Tatarstan is one of the most industrially developed regions of Russia, and Kyrgyzstan is interested in cooperation and building a strategic partnership with the republic. The 17th International Economic Forum "Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum" is underway in Kazan from May 12 to 17. TASS is the event's general information partner.