UAE and Kyrgyzstan seek to revitalise bilateral trade

WAM -- Prospects of lifting trade and industrial cooperation between UAE and Kyrgyzstan to a higher level have been discussed at the UAE - Kyrgyzstan Businessmen Forum in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

The forum is aimed at exploring investment vistas for the private sector in the two countries and the best ways to exchange knowledge and expertise. The UAE delegation to the forum is headed by Mohammed Sharaf, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for Economic and Trade Affairs, while Arzybek Kozhoshev, Kyrgyzstan's Minister of Economy led his country's delegation to the meeting.

The forum reviewed partnership opportunities between the two countries and means of revitalising the investment environment in areas of conventional and non-conventional energy, agriculture, tourism, logistics, and trade.

Mr. Sharaf called upon the two countries businessmen to accelerate their contribution to the bilateral exchange of trade, which he said does not meet the ambitions of the two countries' leaderships.

The non-oil trade exchanged between two nations was down to US$101 million in 2016 from $240 million in 2015, which means more coordination is needed to stamp out the obstacles impeding the economic relations between the two friendly states, he said.

The meeting was attended by Mohammed Hareb Al Mehairbi, UAE Non-Resident Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan and Humaid Mohammed bin Salim, Secretary-General of the Federation of the UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Khalifa Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Deputy Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development.

WAM/Hatem/AAMIR