IBC raises problems of cellular operators and civil aviation at the Investment Council meeting

On June 23, IBC representatives spoke on two issues at meeting of the Business Development and Investment Council under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic chaired by Prime Minister Sooronbai Jeenbekov.

Heads of business associations and state bodies discussed the implementation of the decisions of the previous Council’s meeting, the activities of the Osh Regional Investment Council, improvement and liberalization of procedures in external migration, and creation of an IT education cluster.

Member of the IBC Financial Market Committee, Director of Legal Affairs of Alfa Telecom CJSC, Ainura Jumasheva, raised the issue of mobile operators' access to the retail financial services market. The Prime Minister stressed that allowing mobile operators to engage in retail financial services without creating a separate legal entity would create unequal competition conditions in the market. The state's task is to create uniform rules of the game in the retail financial services market.

It was decided to consider this issue with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic Oleg Pankratov, representatives of cellular operators and the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic.

IBC Executive Director Askar Sydykov spoke on the Step-by-step Action Plan for Civil Aviation Development through Liberalization of the Air Transport Market.

According to IBC, the high price of air tickets is hampered the growing flow of tourists to Kyrgyzstan, while the target group of foreign tourists is the middle class and students. IBC Executive Director named other shortcomings of the local air transportation market and suggested ways of improving the industry developed by the business association in conjunction with civil aviation experts.

The Investment Council advised the Ministry of Transport and Roads of the Kyrgyz Republic to finalize the document within two weeks, taking into account the opinion of interested state bodies and business associations and to submit it to the Office of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic for approval by the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic.