During the discussion of the ratification of the Agreement on Deepening and Expansion of Allied Relations between Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, signed on 19 April this year in Astana, MP Aibek Matkerimov raised the question of the expediency of another agreement with the neighbour, given the experience of the agreements between the countries implementation. 

The deputy asked whether this agreement would not suffer the same fate as other agreements that have not been implemented. He asked if there are guarantees for its implementation.

Deputy Foreign Minister Almaz Imangaziyev replied that at the initiative of the President, all agreements have been reviewed and changes have been made to improve them. In particular, priority has been given to issues related to freight transportation.

"Together with the Customs Service and the Ministry of Economy, we have singled out the problem of freight shipments as the priority. We plan to increase the number of checkpoints on the border with Kazakhstan to reduce the load on existing checkpoints, such as ‘Ak-Jol’ We are also working on the navigation seals' introduction,’ Imangaziyev said.

He added that the Kazakhstani side refers to unscrupulous carriers engaged in smuggling, which was the reason for additional checks.
Imangaziyev assured that negotiations with Kazakhstan are active and emphasised that the agreement will not remain on paper. The deputy minister promised that all points of the agreement would be implemented in practice.