No goods subject to sanctions were supplied to Russia via Kyrgyzstan — statement by Zhaparov

As part of a working visit to the United States of America, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sadyr Zhaparov, held a meeting with representatives of the US business community. The event in New York served as a key forum for direct dialogue on the current state of Kyrgyzstan’s economy, key reforms and the country’s investment opportunities.

During the meeting, Sadyr Japarov was presented with an award by the US-Kyrgyz Business Council in recognition of Kyrgyzstan’s significant achievements in economic development and the implementation of large-scale state reforms.

In his speech, the Head of State responded to reports in the foreign media, explained the real reasons behind and the secrets of Kyrgyzstan’s dynamic economic growth, and outlined the main principles for working with investors: an uncompromising fight against crime, the eradication of corruption at all levels, and the personal, honest example set by the country’s top leadership.

‘I recently read in *The New York Times* a very well-written article about the development of Kyrgyzstan’s economy. However, they wrote that Kyrgyzstan’s economy is growing so rapidly because of the war between Russia and Ukraine, due to the re-export of goods from China and other countries to Russia. This account by The New York Times is incorrect, because we have been selling goods to Russia and exporting from China for a long time, but these are not military goods. We have not sent a single item subject to sanctions to Russia, either on paper or in reality. We are a country that respects UN sanctions and laws. I will speak about this in my address tomorrow. The secret to economic development lies in three things, for any country, not just Kyrgyzstan. Firstly, there must be no crime in this country. Investors must feel safe and be confident that they will recoup their investments twofold or threefold. Secondly, there must be no corruption at any level of the civil service. And thirdly, the head of state – for example, the President – must not steal and must not allow other ministers to steal. Then the budget will be replenished, the economy will grow and people’s lives will improve,” the President concluded.