Russian, Kyrgyz presidents discuss bilateral relations, Eurasian integration

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday discussed bilateral relations and integration in the Eurasian region with his Kyrgyz counterpart in a phone conversation.

"A number of practical aspects of the further development of mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation, including in the trade, economic, financial and humanitarian fields, were discussed," said statement by the Kremlin after Putin's phone call with Sadyr Japarov.

The statement said that Putin and Japarov also discussed issues related to integration organizations in Eurasia.

This was done particularly in the context of Russia's chairmanship in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Kyrgyzstan's chairmanship in the council of heads of state of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Established in 2014 by the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia, the EAEU is an economic bloc of five post-Soviet states in Eurasia, with the inclusion of Armenia and Kyrgyzstan in 2015.

The CIS is a regional organization formed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 by its former members to encourage cooperation in economic, political, and security affairs.

"The mutual resolve to further strengthen Russian-Kyrgyz allied relations was confirmed and it was agreed to continue personal contacts," the statement said.