The Turkish Prime Minister paid an official visit to Kyrgyzstan to demonstrate his political and economic support as the country faces hardships after last year’s government change. Many experts believe that the visit opens a new page in the relationship between Kyrgyzstan and Turkey and provides a special place for Turkey in Kyrgyzstan’s foreign policy. However, others contend that Turkish active economic involvement in Kyrgyzstan may not coincide with Russian interests, and may thus lead to cooler relations between Bishkek and Moscow.
On February 1-2, a Turkish official delegation led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Kyrgyzstan. During the two-day visit, the Turkish leader met with his Kyrgyz counterpart Almazbek Atambaev and President Roza Otunbaeva. He also addressed the newly elected national parliament. Prime Minister Erdogan became the first foreign leader to visit the country since the change of government in April 2010. The two sides signed a number of agreements aimed at fostering bilateral economic cooperation.
Showing its commitment to open a new page in Kyrgyz-Turkish relations, the Turkish government promised immediate financial support as Kyrgyzstan struggles with huge budget deficit and an economic downturn. The Turkish side has already transferred US$ 10 million to reduce Kyrgyzstan’s budget deficit and promised more assistance in the coming months, the Kyrgyz Prime Minister stated at the official joint press conference in Bishkek on February 2. Moreover, the Turkish leadership will encourage US$ 450 million in investments into the Kyrgyz economy in the nearest future, Atambaev added. As Erdogan noted, one-third of the expected investments will be directed to educational projects, particularly to modernization and development of the Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University in Bishkek into the leading academic center in Central Asia.
An additional US$ 15 million will be allocated for reconstruction works in southern Kyrgyzstan after the ethnic clashes last year, Erdogan announced during his meeting with President Otunbaeva. In her turn, Otunbaeva awarded the Turkish leader with the Danaker special medal, emphasizing the Prime Minister’s role in the post-conflict stabilization process. “During last year’s tragic events in southern Kyrgyzstan when inter-ethnic conflict erupted, we felt the support of Turkey”, Otunbaeva said at the meeting.
With an aim to foster Turkish investments into the country, Bishkek and Ankara established an Interstate Council headed by the two Prime Ministers. The first session of the council is planned to be held in Turkey in March 2011, as Atambaev will pay a return visit to Ankara.
Talking about the new political system in the country, the Turkish leader praised the country’s choice to build parliamentary democracy. Addressing the national parliament, he stated that “in choosing a parliamentary system of government, Kyrgyzstan chose a new model of development that will ensure peace, stability and prosperity”. Erdogan assured that Turkey will decisively support the country’s attempts to conduct wide political reforms.
Moreover, the two leaders also agreed to introduce a visa-free regime between the countries. In a first stage, citizens of the two countries can stay in the respective states for up to three months with no visa required, but at the end of this year the visa system will be fully abolished, the Turkish Prime Minister stated at the press conference. Currently, Kyrgyz citizens do not need a visa if they stay in Turkey for less than a month. The Turkish leadership also promised to enlarge the quota for Kyrgyz students at Turkish universities.
The Turkish Prime Minister also spoke at a business forum calling upon the 300 attending Turkish and Kyrgyz businessmen to invest into the Kyrgyz economy. At the same time, he urged the Kyrgyz side to create an “atmosphere of trust” by fighting corruption and ensuring political stability. Later, in an interview with a local newspaper, Erdogan named energy, the mineral resources industry, transportation and communications as spheres of interest for Turkish investments.
Meanwhile, local media outlets repeatedly reported that the Turkish side aimed to invest in particular strategic objects in Kyrgyzstan such as the state-owned oil-distributing company KyrgyzNeftegas, the Manas international airport in Bishkek and the Dastan military factory which produces submarine missiles for the Russian navy. The factory is partially (48 percent) owned by Russia. As the local experts contend, the possibility of Turkey buying shares in the factory will raise concerns in the Kremlin.
Moreover, one day before Erdogan’s visit, the state-owned Turkish Petroleum International Company (TPIC) announced that it is negotiating with the Kyrgyz government on supplying jet fuel for the U.S. Transit Center at Manas airport in Bishkek. The Russian oil giant Gazprom is also interested in fuel supply for the airbase.
Local analysts believe that the Turkish intrusion into the so called “spheres of Russian interests” will seriously irritate Moscow and may aggravate the relationship between Russia and Kyrgyzstan. However, as the Kyrgyz Prime Minister stated at the press conference, Kyrgyzstan considers Russia as a strategic partner and will continue to adhere to all agreements with Moscow. The Turkish leadership understands this, and Erdogan therefore called for three-sided Kyrgyz-Turkish-Russian negotiations to discuss the investment possibilities into strategic spheres of the Kyrgyz economy, Atambaev concluded.