On January 10, 2007, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev approved Kyrgyzstan’s new foreign policy concept. According to this new concept, Kyrgyzstan will conduct a multi-vectored, balanced and pragmatic foreign policy based on its national interests. The new concept emphasizes four main priorities in Kyrgyzstan’s new foreign policy: 1) strengthening national security by foreign policy means and methods, 2) formation of priorities in the country’s development, 3) strengthening a positive image of Kyrgyzstan at the international arena, and 4) formation of an effective system in the country’s foreign policy. Also, Kyrgyzstan’s foreign policy will be focused on three cooperation circles. These include first the regional, which implies cooperation and strengthening of relations with neighboring countries and regional organizations. Secondly, continental: deepening relations with powers such as Russia, the United States, the European Union, China, Japan, Turkey, India, Pakistan, South Asian and Arab countries. The third dimensions is global, meaning active membership in the United Nations.

The reason for forming a new foreign policy concept is explained by the significant changes in the country in March 2005, which led to the necessity of developing a new foreign policy that would serve national interests. It is interesting to note that President Bakiev for a long time was criticized by the opposition for not having a concrete foreign policy, and many experts say that it also speeded up the development of this concept.

The key focus in Kyrgyzstan’s new foreign policy is accorded to strengthening cooperation and integration with neighboring countries. This seems logical in view of the President’s address to the nation in September 2006, where he stated that from now on, Kyrgyzstan will pay more attention to deepening relations with its neighbors: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China. “I always said that the main task of our foreign policy is establishing good relations with neighboring countries. As a result, we did so. My personal contacts gave us positive results. Relations with neighbors achieved a higher level,” Bakiev stated during a speech at the ministry of Foreign Affairs on January 12, 2007. The President noted that these results were possible in view of his visits to China, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. Numerous cooperation agreements in many aspects were signed during these visits, and today, he argued, the first real results are being practically realized. One of the main points in Kyrgyzstan’s relations with neighboring states is border issues. The President expressed hope that the new foreign policy concept will lead to the final delimitation and demarcation of the state’s borders.

Despite such optimistic statements, political experts consider that Kyrgyzstan still has significant disagreements with its neighbors, including the above-mentioned border issues. It is notable that Kyrgyzstan is still in the process of negotiations on border delimitation with all neighboring countries except China. Experts bring up the regular incidents at the Kyrgyz-Uzbek and Kyrgyz-Tajik borders as examples of the persistence of significant problems between the states.

According to the concept, Russia is identified as a strategic partner. Cooperation with this country is one of the main conditions for the peaceful and sustainable development of Kyrgyzstan, according to the concept.

At the same time, despite some incidents that have shaken Kyrgyz-American relations in the past year, Kyrgyzstan intends to continue its active cooperation with the U.S. in the war against international terrorism and, moreover, to widen trade and economic, as well military-technical cooperation. However, many experts say that several incidents including the killing of a Kyrgyz citizen by an American serviceman, and the expulsion of two American diplomats from the country, had and will have a tangible negative impact on the development of the U.S.-Kyrgyz relationship.

The presence of two foreign air bases in the country was also mentioned in the foreign policy concept. It is stated that both air bases serve the national interests of the Kyrgyz people by ensuring security not only in Kyrgyzstan, but also in the region as a whole.

Significant attention will be paid to Kyrgyzstan’s active membership in international and regional organizations, and strengthening relations within these organizations. Among the organizations, of which Kyrgyzstan is a member, regional economic and military organizations such as the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and the Eurasian Economic Community (EEC) are emphasized as strategically important for the country’s security and economic prosperity. The formation of a common market of goods, services and labor in the region within the SCO and the EEC is one of Kyrgyzstan’s long-term goals. One specific element to note is that Kyrgyzstan will head the SCO this year, and the next SCO Summit will be held in Bishkek.

In the context of approving this concept, President Bakiev briefly summed up the results of Kyrgyzstan’s foreign policy over the past year. He noted that 12 foreign visits were organized last year, including a state visit to China and official visits to Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkey and Belarus. 78 bilateral and 291 multilateral agreements were signed as a result of these visits. He listed the delivery of 1,205 tractors by China and the handover of a Tu-154 plane and four military helicopters by Russia as the main concrete results of these visits.

In general, experts say that there are no significant changes in the foreign policy compared to the previous foreign policy direction under President Akaev. Meanwhile, there is a general consensus that a multi-vector foreign policy best fits Kyrgyzstan’s interests.