Published
06/05/2026, 13:51Russian companies are increasingly exploring opportunities to localise production in the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union, including Kyrgyzstan. This was stated by Nikita Gusakov, Senior Vice-President of the Russian Export Centre (REC), during a business dialogue at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.
The discussion was moderated by Artem Novikov, Chairman of the Board of the Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund. He noted that Kyrgyzstan’s high economic growth rates and active state support for business are prompting a fresh look at the role of the state in the economy.
According to Gusakov, the transition from traditional trade relations to investment cooperation between EAEU countries is already taking place in practice.
“We quite often receive enquiries from Russian companies looking to localise production within the EAEU, including in Kyrgyzstan. Our instruments support not only trade and exports, but also the investment activity of Russian companies in the member states,” he noted.
As an example, Gusakov recalled that the first investment insurance deal, implemented by the company ‘EXAR’ (part of the REC Group), was specifically related to investments in Kyrgyzstan.
In his view, for the further development of cooperation, it is necessary to expand not only national but also supranational business support mechanisms. One such instrument is the Eurasian Economic Commission’s cooperation grant, aimed at financing projects involving at least three EAEU member states.
He also highlighted the development of insurance instruments as another key area. Today, all five EAEU member states have their own export credit agencies, which help companies mitigate risks when entering foreign markets.
Gusakov also highlighted the role of the Eurasian Reinsurance Company, which enables risks to be shared among the union’s members and supports cross-border investment projects.
He paid particular attention to cooperation between development institutions. As a successful example, Gusakov cited the collaboration between the Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund and the Russian Export Centre.
“In some cases, this involves preferential financing from us combined with your expertise; in others, it involves financing projects based on Russian technologies or equipment. Combining local expertise with the capabilities of financial partners is the key to the success of cooperative projects and mutual investment activity,” he emphasised.
According to the REC representative, it is precisely the development of joint financial instruments, insurance mechanisms and export support institutions that should form the basis for the growth of investment cooperation and the formation of new production chains within the EAEU.
