Belarus and Kyrgyzstan decide to deepen trade cooperation against Western sanctions

Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhenkov and his Kyrgyz counterpart Jeenbek Kulubayev agreed in a meeting in Bishkek to increase trade volume and develop industrial cooperation. The two countries will also coordinate closely within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Scraper SystemJuly 22, 2026, 08:49 PM

Belarus and Kyrgyzstan decide to deepen trade cooperation against Western sanctions

Belarus and Kyrgyzstan have decided to strengthen economic cooperation against Western sanctions pressure. The meeting between Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhenkov and his counterpart Jeenbek Kulubayev in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek on Wednesday, July 22, laid out plans for concrete steps in this direction.

The two foreign ministers made intensifying trade and economic cooperation the main agenda item of the meeting. The parties agreed on increasing and balancing trade volume, deepening industrial cooperation, and joint food production. Belarus stated it is ready to share its experience in seed production and milk processing with Kyrgyzstan.

The practical framework for this cooperation will be provided by the 2025-2026 Cooperation Plan between the two foreign ministries and two roadmaps for developing cooperation until 2027 and 2030. The ministers also agreed to update the agreement and legal infrastructure to align it with the current high level of bilateral relations.

The meeting also focused on preparations for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Heads of State Summit to be held this year under Kyrgyzstan's chairmanship. Ryzhenkov welcomed the results of Belarusian Prime Minister Aleksandr Turchin's visit to Kyrgyzstan and invited Kulubayev to pay an official visit to Belarus.

The Belarusian side expressed gratitude to its Kyrgyz partners for their support of the Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century initiative developed by Belarus and Russia, especially in an environment where mutual trust has been lost on the European continent and the principles of the Helsinki Final Act have been eroded. The two ministers also coordinated their approaches to joint activities in the UN, OSCE, CIS, EAEU, CSTO, and SCO.

The parties also discussed international agenda items in detail. After Ryzhenkov congratulated Kyrgyzstan on its election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2027-2028 term, Kulubayev thanked Belarus for its support.

In the context of humanitarian cooperation, Belarus confirmed its readiness to expand education for Kyrgyz students, including in engineering fields. The ministers noted that reciprocal health-related travel for children strengthens people-to-people contacts and expressed mutual interest in organizing Culture Days.

A statement from the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said, "The talks once again confirmed that the positions of Minsk and Bishkek on international agenda issues coincide and reaffirmed their shared commitment to developing an equal partnership in the interests of building a just multipolar world order."

Belarus and Kyrgyzstan decide to deepen trade cooperation against Western sanctions