Kyrgyzstan, Russia plan to sign contracts worth $3.5 bln at interregional conference - Kyrgyz PM

BISHKEK. Oct 11 (Interfax) - Contracts worth an equivalent of over $3.5 billion will be signed at a Russian-Kyrgyz interregional conference currently underway in the city of Jalal-Abad in southern Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Akylbek Japarov said.

"Contracts worth over $3.5 billion are to be signed based on the conference's outcomes. Russia remains a key trading partner for Kyrgyzstan," Japarov said at the conference on Wednesday.

Strategic partnership between the two countries and the fact that Kyrgyzstan is part of the Eurasian Economic Union "serve as a solid foundation of multifaceted cooperation," he said.

"Last year, bilateral trade reached a record $3.4 billion, and Russia's share in Kyrgyzstan's aggregate trade turnover amounted to 28%," Japarov said.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk said Russia's trade with the EAEU countries has doubled since 2015.

"Amid global changes, it's important to remain committed to basic goals on which the Union is founded, which is enhancing people's living standards and building a common market of goods, capital, and workforce," Overchuk said.

The participants in the Russian-Kyrgyz interregional conference that started in Jalal-Abad on Wednesday are discussing projects in the trade, tourism, energy, and industry sectors.