ISTANBUL - Kyrgyz Prime Minister Nikolai Tanayev invited Turkish firms to take part in privatization tenders in his country, adding that ''no obstacle will be brought for you, but these companies should have financial sources and good international reference.''
Tanayev met with Turkish and Kyrgyz businessmen in the lunch hosted by Turkish-Kyrgyz Businessmen Council the same day.
Speaking in the meeting held before the lunch, Tanayev said that close cooperation was ensured between Turkey and Kyrgyzstan in the political, cultural and education fields.
Noting that successful studies were also undertaken particularly in field of education, Tanayev said that the construction of Kyrgyz Turkish Manas University continued and that the two faculties of the university would be opened in October in a ceremony in which Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan would also participate.
There were also satisfying studies in military and technical fields, said Tanayev, adding that ''yet, the relations in the commercial and economic fields don't satisfy me. What is 40 million dollars? This figure has to increase.'' Giving information about the studies carried out by the Kyrgyz government, Tanayev said that they undertook reforms in fields of law, bureaucracy, regulations, finance, banking and security. Tanayev said that foreign debt of Kyrgyzstan was very high and that drawing foreign investment was important for them.
Ravshan Jeyenbekov, the Chairman of the State Commission for Management of State Property and Attraction of Direct Investments said that red tape was decreasing and laws were being amended to draw direct foreign capital to the country.
(ÖS-AÖ) 15.05.2003