On May 23, 2022, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu (formerly the US Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic) and representatives of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) met with the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Kyrgyz Republic Nazira Beishenalieva and representatives of business and IT sectors. ⠀

Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu will lead a U.S. delegation to Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan May 23-27 to strengthen U.S. relations with the region and advance collaborative efforts to create a more connected, prosperous, and secure Central Asia. ⠀ During the meeting, the parties discussed topical issues of Kyrgyz-American relations, the regional and global agenda, and also noted the existing potential for the development and strengthening of bilateral relations. ⠀

Nazira Beishenalieva, the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Kyrgyz Republic, shared about the regional initiative AmCham “Regional AmCham Network,” implemented with the support of the USAID FGI program and proposed to hold a number of meetings and awareness-raising initiatives on the rules and applications of sanctions. ⠀

The issues of attracting investments of U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to the Kyrgyz Republic were considered. DFC is America’s development finance institution. DFC partners with the private sector to finance solutions to the most critical challenges facing the developing world today. They invest across sectors including energy, healthcare, critical infrastructure, and technology. DFC also provides financing for small businesses and women entrepreneurs in order to create jobs in emerging markets. ⠀

At the conclusion of the meeting, the interlocutors confirmed their readiness to further strengthen cooperation in various fields and a constructive dialogue on a wide range of bilateral cooperation.