Political Relations

Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic were established on 16 February 1993.
Kyrgyzstan is a reliable partner and the closest neighbor of Uzbekistan. The history and culture of the two peoples are inextricably linked and serve as a solid foundation for fraternal relations, warm friendship, and good-neighborliness.
From the first years of independence, the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic established diplomatic relations and opened embassies in their capitals. Today, cooperation between our countries has reached an unprecedented new level.

A constructive, multifaceted, and mutually beneficial dialogue with Kyrgyzstan, based on the principles of good-neighborliness and strategic partnership, is one of the priorities of Uzbekistan’s foreign policy. The legal framework of cooperation has strengthened — the treaty-legal base consists of more than 248 bilateral documents covering areas of trade, economy, science, tourism, transport, culture, and other fields.
The most important among them — the Treaty on Eternal Friendship, the Declaration on Strategic Partnership, Friendship, Good-Neighborliness and Strengthening Trust, as well as the Declaration on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic — create conditions for enriching bilateral relations with new practical substance.

Key events in the development of cooperation between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan were the state visits of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the neighboring republic in September 2017 and January 2023, and the state visit of President Sadyr Zhaparov to our country in March 2021. These visits gave a powerful impetus to the development of multifaceted dialogue at all levels.

Inter-parliamentary cooperation has significantly intensified. In September 2017, during the visit of the President of Uzbekistan to Kyrgyzstan, a Memorandum on Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation between the Oliy Majlis and the Jogorku Kenesh was signed. In June 2020, an Inter-Parliamentary Commission on Cooperation was established, and in September 2021, the Chairperson of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan paid a visit to Kyrgyzstan.
Mutual exchanges of parliamentary delegations have gained momentum, and the parliamentarians of the two countries cooperate at multilateral platforms such as the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of CIS Member States, the Dialogue of Women Leaders of Central Asian Countries, and others.

Fruitful cooperation has been established at the level of the foreign affairs agencies of the two countries. Regular telephone talks and ongoing meetings of the foreign ministers are held, including on international platforms.
Direct academic and research contacts are being established between analytical centers of both countries, aimed at developing concrete joint proposals and initiatives to further expand and deepen Uzbek-Kyrgyz relations.

Impressive results have been achieved in the development of trade and economic cooperation. Over recent years, mutual trade volumes have increased almost fourfold. For January–May 2024, trade turnover between the countries amounted to 294.3 million USD.
273 enterprises with Kyrgyz capital successfully operate in Uzbekistan, while 70 enterprises with the participation of Uzbek residents have been established in Kyrgyzstan.

The Intergovernmental Commission, operating since 1996, and the Business Council established in 2021 contribute to the expansion and strengthening of bilateral trade-economic and investment cooperation.

Cooperation in the field of transport is of great importance for both countries. In this context, the parties are undertaking joint efforts to strengthen and develop the transport system of Central Asia and are implementing major cross-border projects. The flagship project will be the construction of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway.

Important decisions have also been achieved on issues of delimitation and demarcation of the state borders between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
Concluding his state visit to Kyrgyzstan in January 2023, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized that the signing of the Treaty on Certain Sections of the Uzbek-Kyrgyz State Border was a truly historic event in bilateral relations. “The full settlement of the issue of border delimitation will undoubtedly play an important role in the development of bilateral cooperation and cross-border exchanges and will contribute to strengthening stability and security in our region,” the President of Uzbekistan said.

For many years, one of the difficult issues in relations between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan was water resources management. Thanks to the political will of the two countries, important agreements have been reached in this sphere, in particular the agreement on the joint management of the waters of the Kempir-Abad (Andijan) reservoir. In 2022, a Joint Water Management Commission was established, which has already held four meetings, the latest of which took place in April 2024 in Andijan. The work of the commission is aimed at resolving long-standing disputed issues and ensuring the rational use of water resources. This contributes to strengthening trust between the countries and creating conditions for sustainable regional development.

Cultural ties between our countries are also at a high level. More than 300,000 Kyrgyz live in Uzbekistan, while the Uzbek community in Kyrgyzstan numbers about 1 million people. Cultural centers and schools offering education in native languages operate actively in both countries.
In 2017 and 2018, Uzbekistan Culture Days in Kyrgyzstan and Kyrgyz Culture and Arts Days in Uzbek cities were held on a reciprocal basis. In 2022, the 30th anniversary of Kyrgyz cultural centers was celebrated in Uzbekistan, and in April 2023, the reconstruction of the Babur State Academic Uzbek Musical and Drama Theater in Osh, carried out with the support of the Government of Uzbekistan, was completed.

The parties are interested in expanding cooperation in the fields of science and education. A five-year Agreement on Cooperation in Higher Education has been concluded between the governments of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Within the framework of this Agreement, cooperation in the training and professional development of teaching staff is developing, and mutual exchanges of students and professors are being carried out.

Cooperation between higher education institutions of the border regions of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan is developing very productively. Under academic programs, student exchanges are taking place, and memorandums of cooperation have been signed between universities of Osh and Jalal-Abad regions of Kyrgyzstan and Andijan, Fergana, and Namangan regions of Uzbekistan.
Within the implementation of the Agreement on the Development of Scientific and Technical Cooperation between the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan and the National Academy of Sciences of Kyrgyzstan, fruitful ties have also been established. Exchanges of scientific delegations are carried out, and the parties participate in scientific-practical conferences held in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Meanwhile, cooperation in education and science retains considerable untapped potential for further development.

The resumption of regular air services and the easing of procedures for crossing the state border between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have contributed to an increase in mutual tourist flows. Each year, the number of Kyrgyz tourists visiting Uzbekistan grows, which also strengthens cultural ties and the fraternal friendship between the peoples of our countries.

Thus, constructive dialogue at the highest level, active economic cooperation, and cultural exchanges make the comprehensive partnership between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan increasingly reliable and promising. Mutual respect and the desire for cooperation create favorable conditions for sustainable development and prosperity of both states.
In this context, the state visit of President Sadyr Zhaparov of Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan on 18–19 July 2024 became yet another important step that strengthened the achieved level of cooperation and gave impetus to the further development of mutually beneficial partnership.