By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: Kyrgyzstan yesterday held ceremony for soft opening of its embassy as the country is seeking to enhance relations with the GCC states.
The embassy, scheduled to officially open in December, is the fourth diplomatic mission of Kyrgyzstan in the region. “Kyrgyzstan is giving great importance to strengthening corporation with the GCC states. Last year, we decided to open two embassies in the region - in Abu Dhabi and Doha,” said Nuran Niyazaliev, Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan. He was appointed in December 2015 and arrived this year to establish the embassy.
The soft opening of the embassy coincided with the 25th anniversary of Kyrgyzstan’s independence.
Around 400 Kyrgyz live and work in Qatar, mostly in the service sector and private and public organizations. Kyrgyzstan and Qatar have signed several agreements in different fields and the new embassy in Doha will look to enhance trade between the two countries.
According to Niyazaliev, Emir
H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is expected to visit Kyrgyzstan by the end of this year on an invitation from President Almazbek Atambayev.
“We look forward to enhancing cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and Qatar. The Emir’s visit to Kyrgyzstan will increase cooperation. We have excellent political and cultural cooperation and we still need to work in the area of trade and investment. Bilateral agreements have been signed in the areas of culture, education, transportation, tourism, but the most important task is to implement them,” said Niyazaliev.
“There are great opportunities for Qatar to invest in Kyrgyzstan. We have attractive projects in agriculture, infrastructure, tourism, energy and mining. These are very important for Kyrgyzstan,” he added.
Niyazaliev has met ministers and members of the business community in Qatar. As a result, Hassad Food Company has sent two expert groups to study the region, its market and food production in Kyrgyzstan.
Niyazaliev said the absence of direct flights between Doha and Bishkek was a problem. “There is no direct flight between Doha and Bishkek. We are working on it. “
Meanwhile, Minister of Culture and Sports H E Salah bin Ghanim Al Ali is visiting Kyrgyzstan today to attend the annual Salburun hunting festival which celebrates ancient and traditional techniques used by Kyrgyz nomads.
The Peninsula
