Trade Hub

The Kyrgyz Republic is an important transit country in Central Asia, as the most important freight trade routes are located within its territory – both in the northeast (from Kazakhstan to Russia, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan) and in the southeast (connecting Central Asia with China). Today, land transport, rapidly developing rail transport, and the rapidly expanding aviation industry of the Kyrgyz Republic play a significant role in establishing connections with Europe, the CIS, and Asian countries.

The Kyrgyz Republic is the largest regional re-export point for Chinese goods to Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation.

The Osh-Sary-Tash-Irkeshtam and Bishkek-Naryn-Torugart highways facilitate transit traffic through the Kyrgyz Republic. These roads could potentially become key international transport corridors, generating the bulk of budget revenue in the form of customs duties on freight transport and entry fees for trucks.

The Bishkek-Naryn-Torugart international highway has been assigned the CAREC code 1 – Europe – East Asia. This road passes through the Chui, Issyk-Kul, and Naryn regions and provides connections to neighboring countries such as Kazakhstan and China, and via the Karakoram Highway, to Pakistan and India, with access to Indian ports. Reconstruction of a section of the Osh-Sary-Tash-Irkeshtam road is currently underway, providing reliable road connections between China, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Tajikistan, as well as access to Afghanistan and Pakistan. This will promote more sustainable social and economic development by increasing transit freight and passenger traffic.

The China-Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan road, approximately 550 km long, is crucial for trade with China for two landlocked countries – the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan. It is also considered a significant part of the regional road network in Central Asia, which connects the Kyrgyz Republic, China, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. More broadly, it is considered part of the Asian road network, which, via Afghanistan, connects the ports of Iran and Pakistan with Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation.