Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Minister, Zheenbek Kulubaev Moldokanovich was on a three-day official visit to India from June 5 to 7, 2025, to participate in the 4th India-Central Asia Dialogue held in New Delhi, Delhi.
- During his visit, he held talks with Indian officials to boost bilateral relations and promote greater regional cooperation.
Highlights of the visit:
Meeting with Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman:
On 5 June 2025, Zheenbek Kulubaev, MFA, Kyrgyz Republic, met Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Ministry of Finance (MoF) and Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), and signed the Protocol and exchanged Instrument of Ratification of the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) between the Government of India (GOI) and the Government of Kyrgyz Republic in New Delhi, Delhi.
- The BIT aims to promote and protect interests of investors of India and Kyrgyz Republic.
Key Points:
i.The India-Kyrgyz BIT marks a significant milestone in strengthening bilateral economic relations and fostering a secure and predictable investment environment.
ii.The BIT signed on 14th June 2019, in Bishek, Kyrgyzstan, between GoI and Government of Kyrgyz Republic, entered into force with effect from 5 June 2025.
iii.The new BIT replaces the earlier agreement enforced on 12 May 2000, ensuring continuity in the protection of investments between India and Kyrgyzstan.
Features of the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT):
i. BIT emphasizes sustainable development in the preamble.
ii.BIT has Enterprise based definition of assets with an indicative inclusion list and a specific exclusion of assets, which also clarifies the characteristics of investments such as commitment of capital, the expectation of gain or profit, the assumption of risk and have significance for the development of the host state.
iii.It also mentions the Exclusion of matters relating to local government, government procurement, taxation, services supplied in the exercise of governmental authority, compulsory licenses.
iv.The BIT seeks to define the core elements of the Treatment of Investment, as found in international law and ensures a balanced framework through provisions on national treatment, expropriation and transfers.
v.Most Favoured Nation (MFN) obligation has in the past allowed investors to selectively “import” favourable substantive provisions from other treaties concluded by the Host State. The MFN clause is accordingly removed in the BIT.
vi.BIT contains two types of exceptions, such as General Exceptions and Security Exceptions.
- The General Exceptions include, among others, the protection of the environment, ensuring public health and safety, and protecting public morals and public order.
vii.The BIT has calibrated Investor-State Dispute Settlement mechanism with mandatory exhaustion of local remedies, thereby providing investors alternate dispute resolution mechanism.
4th India-Central Asia Dialogue:
On 6 June 2025, Zheenbek Kulubaev Moldokanovich participated in the 4th India- Central Asia Dialogue, under the chairship of Union Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), GoI, held in New Delhi, Delhi.
- The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan also took part in the meeting.
Key Highlights:
i.The Ministers welcomed the designation of 2025 as the “International Year of Peace and Trust” in accordance with United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) Resolution Number 78/266 of 21 March 2024, initiated by Turkmenistan.
ii.A joint statement condemned the Pahalgam terror attack and emphasized collective action under UN frameworks to combat terrorism and bring its sponsors and financiers to justice.
iii.Five Central Asian nations: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, alongside India, expressed interest in joint rare earth and critical minerals exploration to reduce global dependency, especially amid Chinese export restrictions.
iv.Emphasized optimum usage of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) to enhance connectivity between India and the Central Asian countries.
- Emphasized the effective utilization of the Shahid Beheshti Terminal at Chabahar Port, located in southeastern Iran, to enhance trade connectivity between Central Asia, India, and other global markets.
Note: The inaugural India-Central Asia Summit held in January 2022 was conducted virtually under the chairmanship of Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi.
About Kyrgyzstan:
President – Sadyr Nurgojo uulu Japarov
Capital – Bishkek
Currency – Kyrgystani Som(KGS)
