Gonul pledges more military support to Kyrgyzstan

Turkey will boost its financial and technical support to the Kyrgyz Armed Forces to $1 billion, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul told his Kyrgyz counterpart Abibilla Kudayberdiev on Wednesday, accompanying Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visit to Kyrgyzstan. After visiting Kyrgyzstan-Turkey Manas University in Bishkek, Erdogan said the university is the clearest sign of the two countries' cooperation in education as well as Turkey's biggest investment in Kyrgyzstan. "If we act together, the Central Asia basin could be the actor that shapes the future," he added. Erdogan also met with Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbayeva and Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev, spoke with Parliament Speaker Ahkmatbek Keldibekov, and addressed Kyrgyz lawmakers at Parliament. Erdogan and Atambaev also attended a meeting of the Turkish-Kyrgyz Business Forum.