TİKA Continues to Support the Development of Kyrgyzstan

Training of human resources stands out among the activities of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) in Kyrgyzstan.

TİKA opened its first international office in Kyrgyzstan in 1993. The Agency has strengthened the country’s existing infrastructure with more than 1000 projects and supported the training of qualified human resources with training programs for journalists, doctors, diplomats, and police officers for 30 years.

TİKA’s major projects in recent years include the 72-bed Kyrgyzstan-Türkiye Friendship Hospital in Bishkek; the renovation of Chinghiz Aitmatov Türkiye-Kyrgyzstan Cultural Center at the National Library of the Kyrgyz Republic, which has an 84-year history; “Project for the Digitalization of Kyrgyz Movie Archives”; “Project for the Construction of the Turkic World Culture and Training Kitchen,” implemented at Jalal-Abad International University; “Project for the Donation of a Laparoscopy Device,” implemented at Osh Regional Hospital; and the renovation of the Batken Regional Infectious Diseases Hospital.

Development-oriented projects are being implemented

Osman Usta, TİKA’s Program Coordinator in Bishkek, stated that since Kyrgyzstan’s declaration of independence, investments in human resources have been among Türkiye’s major assistance activities, and that they were working on development-oriented projects.

Usta referred to the importance of activities to spread Turkish spoken in Türkiye, which attracted great interest in Kyrgyzstan. He stated that they built education centers in Bishkek, Osh, Talas, Jalal-Abad, Batken, Karakol, and Naryn, where teachers from the Turkish spoken in Türkiye Teaching Center (TTÖMER) teach the language.

Usta listed the projects they implemented to support vocational education. He noted that they built an outdoor mini football pitch and renovated and equipped the auto repair shop at Vocational Technical High School No. 3 in Bishkek.

Usta stressed that TİKA serves as a bridge between Kyrgyzstan and Türkiye and that Kyrgyzstan would prosper in the future thanks to its existing human resources.

Students eat the crops they grow in the greenhouse built by TİKA

The Agency implemented a project to build a greenhouse on a land of 1000 square meters on the campus of Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University (KTMU) in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, upon the request of the Faculty of Agriculture at the university.

Prof. Atilla Dursun, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at KTMU, noted that the greenhouse built on the campus under the sponsorship of TİKA and with the support of Prof. Alpaslan Ceylan, Rector of KTMU, offered students in the Faculty of Agriculture an opportunity to study, practice, and research and allowed them to grow various vegetables.

Dursun stated that vegetables grown by students in the Faculty of Agriculture, such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, aubergines, lettuce, arugula, collard greens, broccoli, onions, leeks, and spinach, were used at the university’s dining hall.

Dursun added that the greenhouse was extremely useful to the Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University and that they also provided vegetables to orphanages in need from time to time.

Students who attend courses at the auto repair shop can easily find jobs

Shaybek Bilalov, Principal of the Vocational Technical High School affiliated with the Ministry of Education and Science of Kyrgyzstan, noted that the high school was founded in 1942 and now educates software engineers, mechanical engineers, energy engineers, turners, welders, and printing press operators.

Bilalov stated that students who attend applied courses at the auto repair shop equipped by TİKA can easily find jobs. He said, “In our high school, 70 percent of the courses are theoretical, and 30 percent are applied courses. TİKA implemented two major projects in our high school. The Agency built an outdoor mini football pitch and renovated and equipped the auto repair shop. The auto repair shop even has an auto key programmer and an electronic battery tester. We are grateful to them.”