Merkel To Visit Kyrgyzstan

Chancellor Angela Merkel will pay an official visit to Kyrgyzstan on July 13-14, the German leader’s first visit to the Central Asian nation, officials in Bishkek say.

Merkel will hold talks with Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev as well as Kyrgyz parliamentarians and representatives of civil society, the president’s press office said on July 7.

Merkel and Atambaev will discuss bilateral ties, regional and international issues, it added.

In March, Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian states, in a trip that the German Foreign Ministry said focused on the fight against terrorism, regional cooperation, and economic ties.

With reporting by Interfax