From Middle to Zangezur Corridor: Bishkek and Ankara building shared future review by Teymur Atayev

According to publicly available sources, Orta Asya Investment Holding, a strategic partner of Türkiye’s İhlas Holding, has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Energy of Kyrgyzstan to construct two hydroelectric power plants (HPPs) — Kazarman and Kokomeren — with a combined capacity of 2,217 MW. The planned investment totals $10 billion. The project is to be implemented under a “build-operate-transfer” model with a 20-year operational period, featuring a “guaranteed state purchase of generated electricity at a foreign-currency tariff,” along with customs and tax incentives.

According to specifications from İhlas Holding, the Turkish company is ready to implement an efficient management system at the completed facilities. Simultaneously, it is emphasised that, in addition to meeting domestic demand, the project will strengthen Kyrgyzstan’s energy independence and boost its export potential.

Successful implementation will position Bishkek as a key branch of energy corridors “from China to Pakistan and from Kazakhstan to Uzbekistan,” with energy supplies to Europe via Türkiye not only through the Middle Corridor but also the Zangezur route, sometimes referred to as the Trump route. In line with this, Kyrgyzstan will become an important node in China’s Belt and Road Initiative as part of this energy strategy.

The agreements also include social support measures. In particular, over five years, $150 per month will be allocated for the needs of one thousand orphans and children deprived of parental care. 

One per cent of generated electricity will be provided free to the population, while government institutions will receive technical assistance (amounting to $3.2 million annually), including training, supported by the creation of an Academy in Kyrgyzstan for specialists in the energy sector.

Overall, these developments reflect a unique atmosphere of mutual understanding between Ankara and Bishkek. For example, Türkiye is constructing an oil refinery in the village of Kok-Talaa, Batken region. The facility will produce Aİ-92 and Aİ-95 petrol, diesel, bitumen, gas, and lubricants for vehicles and other machinery.

Experts note that crude oil processing to meet domestic demand is expected to begin soon. The refinery will have a production capacity of 500 tonnes of oil per day, creating 200 direct jobs at the plant and 250 at the oil extraction site.

Indicative of Turkish-Kyrgyz cooperation, in June 2025, Kyrgyz exports to Türkiye rose 3.4 times compared with the same period the previous year. Conversely, in the first half of 2025, Turkish exports to Kyrgyzstan reached nearly $640 million.

During an April meeting with the Speaker of the Turkish Parliament, Numan Kurtulmuş, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Adylbek Kasymaliev highlighted the positive dynamics of bilateral relations, noting that trade turnover had reached $1 billion, and described the “ambitious but achievable goal” of raising this figure to $5 billion in the coming years.

Subsequently, the relevant authorities of both countries updated measures to remove technical barriers and potentially introduce preferential customs conditions for Kyrgyz agricultural exports to the Turkish market.

A separate aspect of bilateral relations concerns defence and security. In March of this year, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov signed a law ratifying the “Agreement on Security Cooperation” between the governments of the two countries, which was subsequently adopted by the Jogorku Kenesh (Kyrgyz Parliament). 

The agreement establishes a legal framework for bilateral security cooperation and, specifically, covers collaboration in the development, production, and sale to third parties of all types of defence industry products and services.

In June–July 2025, Kyrgyz servicemen participated in the international special forces exercises “Anatolia-2025.” In July, a ceremony took place for the handover of equipment under agreements between the governments of the two countries on military and financial cooperation.

Just a few days ago, Kyrgyz and Turkish officials (via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Turkish embassy in Kyrgyzstan) discussed measures to simplify visa and migration procedures.

Thus, Turkish-Kyrgyz relations are developing across nearly all sectors. This is further confirmed by the opening of the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Kyrgyz-Turkish Friendship State Hospital in Bishkek. The two countries also cooperate within the framework of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), addressing key issues in recent years. 

Such closeness between Ankara and Bishkek is unsurprising, especially considering the November 2024 decision to elevate the Kyrgyz-Turkish strategic partnership to the level of a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.”

In this context, Sadyr Japarov, calling Türkiye a brotherly country and strategic partner, expressed his strong conviction that “the future of our two countries and peoples will be unified.”