For centuries, Kyrgyz tribes lived and provided security to travellers along the Silk Road, a meeting point of trade routes that connected China, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Goods, capital, and ideas passed through our valleys and mountain corridors, shaping a region built on exchange.

Ayaz Baetov, Minister of Justice of the Kyrgyz Republic
Ayaz Baetov, Minister of Justice of the Kyrgyz Republic

Today, those same routes are being rewired for the twenty-first century, and the currents of global capital are beginning to flow along them once again. The European Union now accounts for roughly a quarter of Central Asia's total foreign trade and remains its largest source of foreign investment, with over 40 per cent of inward capital originating from the EU. Investment across the Belt and Road network has also reached historic levels, with cumulative engagement approaching $1.4 trillion. At a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty, the geography of trade and finance is changing as investors seek stability, transparency, and long-term growth across a wider range of markets.

The re-emergence of Central Asia as a major corridor of trade and investment between East and West is one of the defining economic developments of this decade. As this transformation gathers pace, new centres of finance will take shape alongside it. Kyrgyzstan intends to be one of them.

This is the context in which Kyrgyzstan has launched the Tamchy Special Financial Investment Territory, a strategic effort to create a platform that matches the scale of opportunity emerging across the region. Grounded in international standards, the territory operates under a legal framework based on English common law principles, supported by independent dispute resolution. It enables full capital mobility, including unrestricted movement of funds, transactions in any currency, and guarantees of 100 per cent profit repatriation. It allows for 100 per cent foreign ownership and streamlined access for international firms.

In my capacity as Minister of Justice, I am directly responsible for shaping the legal architecture of this effort. That includes overseeing the development and adoption of the framework governing the Tamchy Special Financial Investment Territory, with a particular focus on embedding English common law principles within the zone. Central to this is the establishment of the International Dispute Resolution Centre, a dedicated body designed in line with international best practice to provide investors with credible, independent, and predictable mechanisms for resolving commercial disputes.

The fiscal environment is clear, predictable, and attractive. Corporate income tax, value added tax, dividend tax, and capital gains tax are set at zero for residents. Foreign employees benefit from a zero personal income tax rate, supported by a flexible foreign exchange regime that enables seamless cross-border operations. In practical terms, this means investors can enter, operate, and scale within a jurisdiction designed to minimise friction and maximise profitability.

The territory spans nearly 6,000 hectares and is being developed as a fully integrated ecosystem across finance, logistics, technology, and tourism. By 2027, the first phase will deliver more than 550,000 square feet of infrastructure. By 2035, total development is expected to exceed 5 million square feet, hosting more than 3,900 resident companies. Infrastructure is being developed in parallel. Issyk-Kul International Airport will serve as a gateway to the territory, with passenger traffic projected to increase from approximately 40,000 in 2024 to more than 350,000 by 2035. A visa-free regime for visitors arriving directly into the zone will further strengthen its accessibility.

We are building a jurisdiction that combines legal certainty, fiscal competitiveness, and direct access to one of the fastest growing regions in the world, a platform through which capital can move efficiently across Eurasia, supported by institutions designed for long-term confidence.

This shift is unfolding alongside a broader reconfiguration of trade. Central Asia is experiencing a sustained period of economic and commercial expansion, driven by renewed investment in connectivity and infrastructure. Trade between China and Central Asian economies has surpassed $100 billion, extending a multi-year trend of accelerating integration. At the same time, Europe is turning more decisively towards the region. Total trade between Europe and Central Asia has reached approximately €59 billion, underpinned by a new strategic partnership and a €12 billion investment programme focused on transport, energy, and digital connectivity. These investments are reshaping the physical and economic landscape of the region, strengthening transport corridors, deepening industrial linkages, and increasing the strategic importance of overland routes across Eurasia.

New infrastructure is reinforcing this trajectory. Projects such as the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway are designed to reduce transit times between Asia and Europe and anchor Central Asia more firmly within global supply chains. Trade routes that were once peripheral are becoming central to the movement of goods, capital, and investment.

Kyrgyzstan is in the midst of rapid economic modernisation and digitalisation. Over the past five years, our economy has expanded rapidly, with gross domestic product increasing from approximately $8 billion in 2020 to more than $22 billion in 2025. Growth exceeded 11 per cent in 2025, placing Kyrgyzstan among the fastest growing economies globally. This expansion has been driven by trade, logistics, construction, and services, reflecting the country's increasing integration into regional flows.

Central Asia is re-emerging as a corridor of global commerce. As ancient Kyrgyz tribes did in centuries past, Kyrgyzstan is prepared to act as a steward of a new global crossroads for capital and trade.