Kasymaliev convened a meeting on sanctions following the EU’s restrictions against Kyrgyzstan

On April 27, the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan held a working meeting on international sanctions amid the first direct restrictions imposed by the European Union, which affected certain shipments to the republic as well as Kyrgyz companies.

The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Adylbek Kasymaliev. Representatives of government agencies and relevant ministries participated in the discussion. The main topics were the current sanctions situation, the associated risks, and proposals for the phased lifting of restrictions.

According to the Cabinet of Ministers, government agencies reported on measures being taken to comply with international obligations, increase transparency in foreign economic activity, and strengthen control over export and import operations. Particular emphasis was placed on Kyrgyzstan’s dialogue with Western partners regarding the sanctions agenda.

Following the meeting, government agencies were tasked with minimizing negative consequences and developing comprehensive measures to remove Kyrgyz companies from Western countries’ sanctions lists.

The meeting took place a few days after the publication of the 20th package of EU sanctions, which for the first time included measures directly affecting Kyrgyzstan.

Specifically, the European Union applied an anti-circumvention mechanism regarding the supply of two categories of goods to Kyrgyzstan—including computer numerical control (CNC) machines and radio equipment—citing the risks of re-export to Russia.

At the same time, the EU included two Kyrgyz banks—“Keremet Bank” and “Capital Bank”—in Part B of Annex XIX to Decision 2014/512/CFSP. This measure imposes a ban on transactions involving individuals and companies from the EU and takes effect on May 14, 2026.

In addition, the Bishkek-registered crypto company TengriCoin has been added to the EU sanctions list. The grounds cited are transactions related to the Meer platform and the A7A5 stablecoin, which the European Union had previously classified as crypto assets subject to restrictions.