With an aim to strengthen bilateral ties, India and Kyrgyzstan on Friday signed 15 agreements in a number of key areas, including defence, trade and investment and health.
The signing of the agreements and exchange of documents took place in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov.
The agreements are mentioned as follows:
1. Joint declaration between India and the Kyrgyz Republic on strategic partnership.
2. Road map on trade and economic cooperation between the Republic of India and the Kyrgyz Republic for the five-year period (2019-2024).
3. Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) between India and the Kyrgyz Republic.
4. Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation between National Security Council Secretariat of India and Office of the Security Council of the Kyrgyz Republic.
5. Protocol to amend Article 26 of India-Kyrgyzstan Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA).
6. Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of health.
7. MoU between DRDO and Kyrgyz-India Mountain Biomedical Research Centre.
8. Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between National Security Guards of India and National Guards of the Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic.
9. Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between National Defence Academy of India and Kyrgyz Military Institute of the Kyrgyz Republic.
10. Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between High Altitude Warfare School (Gulmarg), Indian Armed Forces and Joint Mountain training Centre of the Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic.
11. Memorandum of Cooperation between Export-Import Bank of India and the Investment Promotion and Protection Agency of the Kyrgyz Republic.
12. MoU between India and the Kyrgyz Republic on cooperation on Information and Communication Technology.
13. Memorandum of Understanding between Ministry of Consumer Affairs of India and Ministry of Economy of the Kyrgyz Republic on cooperation in the field of Legal Metrology.
14. Memorandum of Understanding between Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) of India and National Institute of Strategic Studies (NISS) of the Kyrgyz Republic.
15. Memorandum of Understanding between YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Himachal Pradesh and Kyrgyz National Agrarian University (KNAU).
After the exchange of documents ceremony, both India and Kyrgyzstan reaffirmed their stand to fight against terror.
"We are together in the fight against terrorism. It is imperative to give out a message to the world that terrorism will not be tolerated at any cost," Modi said in a joint press conference along with Jeenbekov.
The Prime Minister also announced a line of credit of USD 200 million for supporting developmental projects in Kyrgyzstan.
"I am happy to announce that we have agreed to celebrate 2021 as the year of cultural and friendship between the Kyrgyz Republic and India," Modi said.
The Prime Minister is on a two-day visit to Kyrgyzstan and attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, besides holding bilateral meetings with several leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
After the SCO Summit concluded, Modi officially began his bilateral engagements by holding talks with Jeenbekov. The two leaders also jointly inaugurated the India-Kyrgyzstan Business Forum.
Modi has invited Kyrgyz businesses to invest in India, saying the country has a huge market and is determined to become a five trillion dollar economy in the next five years.
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