Deputy Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan Aibek Moldogaziev met with a delegation of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) headed by its Chairman David McAllister.
The European delegation also includes AFET Vice Chair Željana Zovko, MPs Clement Groeschel, Manolis Kefalogiannis, Karsten Lucke, Gheorghe-Vlad Nistor, Juozas Olekas, as well as staff of the AFET Secretariat and political advisors of a number of party groups of the European Parliament.
The sides discussed the main issues on the bilateral agenda, including bilateral mechanisms and normative framework of interaction.
The Deputy Minister noted the importance and the role of inter-parliamentary cooperation in the development of bilateral relations. In this context, the sides welcomed the high level of the existing dialogue and the plans to hold the next meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee.
The AFET Chairman reaffirmed the commitment of the European Parliament to further develop partnership relations with Kyrgyzstan, which «is a flagship for democratic reforms and promotion of human rights».
The parties also touched upon regional issues in the spheres of security, trade, transportation and environment.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Kyrgyzstan in July.
The document notes that democratic standards and human rights in the country have «alarmingly deteriorated» in recent years. The Reporters Without Borders’ index for 2023 shows that the republic has dropped 50 positions down to 122nd place out of 180 countries.
The European Parliament called on the Kyrgyzstan’s authorities to respect and uphold fundamental freedoms, including freedom of the media and freedom of expression, in line with the EU-Kyrgyzstan Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.
By Darya Podolskaya for 24.kg.
