India- Kyrgyz Republic Joint Declaration during visit of Prime Minister to Kyrgyz Republic

June 15, 2019

At the invitation of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic H. E. Mr. Sooronbay Jeenbekov, the Prime Minister of India H.E. Shri Narendra Modi paid an official visit to the Kyrgyz Republic on 13-14 June, 2019.

President Jeenbekov and Prime Minister Modi held an in-depth exchange of views in a warm and friendly atmosphere on bilateral relations, international and regional issues of mutual interest and reached common understanding.

Both leaders of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of India (hereinafter referred to as the Sides) highly appreciated the significant progress in cooperation between the two countries in various fields, since the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 1992. 

They recalled the Joint Declaration on the Principles and Areas of Cooperation between the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of India of 18 March, 1992, which laid down a strong foundation for the development of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Guided by the common desire to enhance Kyrgyz - India relations and further deepen the existing multifaceted cooperation, and also taking into account the regional and international situation, the Sides declared the following:

1. The Sides decided to raise bilateral relations to the level of Strategic Partnership. The Sides emphasized that the development of mutually beneficial relations with each other is one of the priority and strategic directions of the foreign policy of each Side, and will continue to strengthen political trust and promote comprehensive development of cooperation in all areas.

2. The Sides emphasized that maintaining an active political dialogue through exchange of visits at all levels and close cooperation at the regional and global levels on important international issues of mutual interest will contribute to continued development of relations and further strengthen mutual trust between the two countries. 

3. The Sides noted that the current level of Kyrgyz-India cooperation in the trade and economic sphere does not correspond to the potential that exists between the two countries. The Sides will, in the spirit of the principles of equality and mutual benefit, work together towards taking economic cooperation to a higher level, which includes, increasing the bilateral trade turnover and expanding the range of goods and services.

4. The Sides decided to develop cooperation in the industrial sphere, particularly in textile, garments, mining and information and communication technology.

5. The Sides expressed satisfaction on the successful conduct of the Business Forum with the participation of representatives of the business circles of the two countries.

6. The Sides noted the importance of regional road and rail connectivity. The Sides agreed to examine possibilities of cooperation in developing mutually beneficial projects to improve connectivity.

7. The Sides noted the importance of holding regular meetings of the India-Kyrgyz Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic and Scientific and Technical cooperation and consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Ministry of External Affairs of Republic of India. 

8. The Sides, while noting the importance of people-to-people contacts between the two countries, declared their intention to continue and expand further cooperation in the fields of culture, science, education, health care, tourism, sports, information, protection of intellectual property and innovations, protection of the national cultural heritage and other areas. The Sides noted the importance of preserving Buddhist historical monuments in the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic.

9. The Sides agreed to celebrate Year of 2021 as the Year of Culture in both countries during which a series of events will be organized to strengthen the political, socio-economic, cultural and friendly relationship between peoples of both countries.

10. The Kyrgyz Side expressed gratitude for the assistance provided by India in training of specialists of the Kyrgyz Republic within the framework of the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Program (ITEC). The Sides expressed hope that the participants of the program will continue to contribute to the national development of the Kyrgyz Republic and will also be a bridge of friendship between people of both countries.

11. The Kyrgyz side appreciated India's humanitarian assistance of providing medical radiation equipment "Bhabhatron-2" for treatment of cancer patients, and expressed its desire to deepen cooperation in the Health sector. In this regard, the Sides welcomed the signing of the MoU for cooperation in the health sector. 

12. Expressing satisfaction with the ongoing defense cooperation, the Sides reiterated their commitment to achieving closer ties between their defense forces and expressed readiness to enhance bilateral cooperation in the field of defense, training of defense personnel including mountain training, joint exercises, UN peacekeeping and military-technical cooperation in the areas of mutual interest.

13. The Sides strongly condemn and oppose terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and also extremism and separatism, which pose a serious threat to the security and stability of the two countries and the region as a whole. In connection with the increasing level of terrorist and extremist threats, the Sides attach great importance to combat these challenges by strengthening cooperation in the areas of law enforcement and capacity building in the field of guarding borders. Calling for the need for heightened international efforts to combat terrorism, the Sides emphasized the need for the early adoption of the "Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism" in the United Nations.

14. The sides agreed to strengthen bilateral security cooperation between their respective Security Council structures in the areas of mutual interest. In this context, the Sides welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the National Security Council Secretariat of India and the Office of the Security Council under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic.

15. The Kyrgyz Side welcomed the membership of the Republic of India in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and noted that this has strengthened the organization. India's participation in the SCO also provides additional opportunities to the Sides to engage with each other in multilateral fora. 

16. Sharing similar values of freedom, democracy, fundamental human rights and respect for the rule of law, the Sides expressed their willingness to further deepen and strengthen mutual cooperation in the United Nations and other International Organizations towards preserving and promoting global peace and stability. 

17. The Sides agreed on the need to reform the United Nations to make it a more equitable and democratic organization reflecting the contemporary geopolitical realities by further enhancing its representative nature. The Sides reiterated their concurrence with the idea of reforming the United Nations Security Council in order to strengthen its capacity to respond promptly and effectively to global challenges and threats. The Kyrgyz Side reiterated its support for India’s candidature for permanent membership in an expanded United Nations Security Council. Both Sides, in the spirit of friendship and mutual trust and taking into account close cooperation in multilateral organizations, agreed to work towards each other’s candidature in various United Nations fora including the UNSC non-permanent membership. 

18. The Kyrgyz Republic supports the position and initiatives of the Republic of India on the need for joint efforts to combat climate change, including by giving more attention to realizing the potential of renewable energy.

19. The Sides concluded a number of MoUs and Agreements during the Official Visit of the Prime Minister of India, including in the fields of Avoidance of Double Taxation, Bilateral Investment, Health, Information & Communication Technology, Investment promotion, etc. 

20. The Sides expressed satisfaction on steady development of India-Kyrgyz defense cooperation, including in the fields of training, capacity-building and mountain trainings.

21. The Sides commended joint hosting of India-KyrgyzTextiles Exhibition in Bishkek on June 14-24 2019 and agreed to explore joint collaborations and cooperation in the fields of textiles, handicrafts, fabrics and arts.

22. Both Sides also agreed to jointly explore opportunities of training and capacity development in the sphere of Tourism, Ecotourism, Environment Protectionand Wildlife Conservation.

23. The Indian Side thanked the Kyrgyz Republic for support in promoting International Day of Yoga and Ayurveda in the Kyrgyz Republic. 

24. The Sides expressed deep satisfaction with the regular high-level contacts at bilateral and multilateral levels that provide strong impetus to progressive enhancement and deepening of relationship across the entire spectrum of cooperation.

25. Prime Minister of India H.E. Shri Narendra Modi invited the President of the Kyrgyz Republic H.E. Mr. Sooronbay Jeenbekov to pay an official visit to India. The Kyrgyz President accepted the invitation.

26. Prime Minister of India H.E. Shri Narendra Modi expressed his gratitude to the President of the Kyrgyz Republic H.E. Mr. Sooronbay Jeenbekov for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to the Indian delegation.

Bishkek, 

June 14 , 2019