The UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) Economic Forum has opened in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, with the country holding the SPECA...
The UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) Economic Forum has opened in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, with the country holding the SPECA chairmanship in 2026.
The forum, themed on connectivity for sustainable development, covers transport and logistics, trade facilitation, e-commerce, small business, innovation and infrastructure finance. Kyrgyzstan's cabinet chairman Adylbek Kasymaliev told the forum that the chairmanship is a chance to build a new quality of regional cooperation, pointing to the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway now under construction and to Kyrgyz airlines coming off the EU aviation safety list.
In a separate trade win, China has approved imports of three types of berries from Kyrgyzstan, opening a huge market to the country's growers.
Why it matters: SPECA brings together Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. For landlocked Kyrgyzstan, forums like this are where roads, railways and market access are actually negotiated, and the berry decision shows the payoff can be as concrete as fruit on a shelf in China.
#Kyrgyzstan