Kyrgyzstan and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) signed an agreement on the establishment of an official representative office of the international structure in the country. The document enshrines the intention of the parties to strengthen the coordination of joint projects in the field of sustainable agriculture, agrarian reforms and improving the lives of rural population.

On the Kyrgyz side, the document was signed by Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers - Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry Bakyt Torobaev. On the FAO side - Director General Qiu Dongyu, who arrived in Bishkek on an official visit.

FAO is currently implementing 13 national projects in Kyrgyzstan with a total value of $35 million. In parallel, the country participates in 18 global, regional and sub-regional initiatives. The new agreement is designed to ensure closer and more operational coordination of these programs, as well as to create a framework for launching new initiatives.

“This is a strategic step that will strengthen our agro-industrial potential and help advance food security issues,” Torobaev said.

FAO unites 197 countries of the world and has been working on sustainable rural development issues for more than 80 years. Kyrgyzstan has been a member of the organization since 1993. The establishment of a local office will bring interaction to the institutional level for the first time, which could increase the effectiveness of agrarian reforms and investments in the country's agriculture.