France is going to open an embassy in the Kyrgyz Republic to reinforce bilateral relations and economic exchange with the Central Asian country, the foreign ministry announced on Thursday, Xinhua reported.
Since 2004, it has been the French embassy in Kazakhstan that deals with diplomatic affairs related to Kyrgyzstan. With an ambassador to Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital, "France as well as Germany will become the first European countries that have diplomatic net in Central Asia," ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said.
The ministry confirmed French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner had discussed the issue with his Kyrgyz counterpart Kadyrbek Sarbaev in Greece, where the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe held the latest foreign ministerial meeting a few days ago.
"This decision shows France's hope to develop the relation with Central Asia to a higher level in line with its strategic status," the ministry said.
The Kyrgyz Republic, a mountainous country in the northeast of Central Asia, borders on China in the southeast, on Kazakhstan in the north, on Uzbekistan in the west, and on Tajikistan in the southwest.
The French army as well as 11 other members of the international counterterrorism alliance once used the Manas military base near Bishkek, which was established by the United States in 2001.
After the Kyrgyz parliament halted the lease of Manas base early this year, the United States managed to keep the air base as a "center of transit shipments" by paying more than triple rent, while France is still in process of negotiation with the Central Asian country on access.
France to open embassy in Kyrgyzstan
