BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov on Tuesday hailed the elevation of his country's ties with Türkiye to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership.

"I am pleased to announce that we have made an important decision to raise the strategic partnership relations between the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Türkiye to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership," Japarov said during a joint news conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek.

Expressing that Bishkek greatly appreciated the results of the sixth meeting of the Türkiye-Kyrgyzstan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, Japarov said they discussed current topics on the agenda, including trade, education, culture, humanitarian cooperation, and military.

In terms of education, Japarov announced that an agreement has been reached to expand the Turkish Maarif Foundation's network in all regions of Kyrgyzstan.

He further thanked Erdogan for his decision to cancel Kyrgyzstan's debt to Türkiye, and that Bishkek is determined to further improve conditions in the country for domestic and foreign investors.

Japarov also said they will continue their cooperation with Türkiye in the health sector, indicating they suggested that further projects be considered to establish more medical institutions in Kyrgyzstan.

As a result of the council meeting, bilateral agreements covering a wide range of important areas including health, energy, economy and finance, agriculture, digitalization, security, and culture were signed, he added.

* Writing by Burc Eruygur in Istanbul