BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 6. On November 5, 2026, Nurbek Maksutov, Representative of the Ministry of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic on WTO Affairs in Geneva, spoke at a panel session titled "Trade Reforms, Free Trade Agreements, and Value Chains" at the CAREC Forum in Manila, the Philippines, the ministry's press service reports.
In his speech, he outlined the position of the Kyrgyz Republic, noting that amid geopolitical uncertainty and disrupted supply chains, the country is betting on connectivity, open trade, and high-quality investment.
For the Kyrgyz Republic — a developing, landlocked country in the heart of Central Asia — these challenges are particularly acute. Businesses face high transport costs, long delivery times, and heavy reliance on transit routes.
In this regard, Nurbek Maksutov outlined three priority areas:
- Connectivity. The diversification of transport corridors, including the construction of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway and securing access to the Trans-Caspian route, must be accompanied by more efficient border procedures. Digital customs, "single-window" mechanisms, electronic trade documents, and the interoperability of national information systems play a crucial role in this effort.
- Resilient value chains. Increasing resilience must not lead to trade fragmentation or the emergence of new protectionist barriers. An open, transparent, and predictable trading system is especially vital for small, landlocked countries. The region needs to move beyond a purely transit role and integrate more actively into value chains across agriculture, renewable energy, digital services, and logistics. Special focus should be placed on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), for which digital technologies open direct access to international markets.
- High-quality investment and financial cooperation. Financing infrastructure and digital transformation cannot rely solely on public funds; it requires collaboration with the private sector, development banks, and international financial institutions. Kyrgyzstan is interested not just in the volume of investment, but in its quality — specifically job creation, technology transfer, and strengthening local businesses. The country also supports regional cooperation in trade finance, investor guarantees, risk-sharing mechanisms, and the gradual development of regional capital markets.
