British MPs to visit Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan

LONDON. KAZINFORM The Foreign Affairs Committee is conducting a visit to the Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic. This visit will help to inform the Committee’s inquiry on the UK’s engagement with Central Asian states.

In Uzbekistan, the Committee is meeting with the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs and visiting projects the UK has supported. The Committee is splitting into two groups to visit Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan respectively. In Kazakhstan, members are meeting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Energy and the Foreign Relations Committee. In Kyrgyzstan, members of the Committee are meeting with Kyrgyzstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister and the Committee’s counterpart, the International Relations Committee, Kazinform learnt from the official website of the UK Parliament.

Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Alicia Kearns MP, said: «I’m pleased to be visiting the republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic as part of our inquiry into the UK’s engagement with the region of Central Asia.

«This visit is an opportunity to learn more about potential opportunities for collaboration in the region, as well as the potential barriers. This is a region that has been neglected for too long; this is the first time this century the Foreign Affairs Committee has visited.

«While here, we will meet with and hear from a range of individuals and organisations in Central Asian countries, building a picture of the opportunities and challenges faced by the UK in the region.»