Currently, Kyrgyzstan's trade relations with the USA are in the process of searching for new formats; however, there are several objective barriers on this path. Temir Sariev, head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic, discussed in detail the main barriers to American investments in an interview with VB.KG, as well as highlighted promising areas where local businesses are already making confident strides.
One of the main factors hindering the development of trade turnover is geography. "The first obvious problem is the complex, lengthy, and costly logistics. Nevertheless, at certain times, even cars have been imported from the USA to Kyrgyzstan. Although e-commerce partially simplifies processes, the logistical aspect still remains a serious limitation," Sariev stated.
Moreover, the size of the market is no less important. For large American companies, the market of a single Central Asian republic seems insufficiently large. Sariev believes that the solution to this problem lies in regional integration, which would allow countries to present a united front to investors.
"American companies are major players and require significant sales volumes. If we analyze each country separately, the population will be about 7-8 million, whereas collectively the total market can reach around 80 million people, which already looks more attractive to investors," he noted.
Kyrgyzstan is interested in having American partners view the republic not just as a source of raw materials. Although mineral resources remain a focus for the USA, Bishkek emphasizes the need for diversification. According to Sariev, the country needs investors willing to finance the construction of roads, logistics centers, and the development of the manufacturing and financial sectors. In particular, there is enormous potential in the financial sector related to access to favorable credit lines from the USA.
"There are many financial resources from the USA that are often more accessible and cheaper than in other countries. However, to attract them, our financial institutions need to work more actively and increase their readiness for cooperation," Temir Sariev emphasized.
The only sector where borders and high logistics costs have not become an obstacle is the IT sector. Kyrgyzstan is already well integrated into the American economy in this area.
"About 90% of the software developed in our country is exported to the USA. The American market in this direction is quite large and promising, although competition there is very high. Nevertheless, there are opportunities for growth if systematic and targeted work is carried out," concluded the head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic.
