In Bishkek, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, Ruslan Kazakbaev, recently met Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, AKDN Representative for the Kyrgyz Republic. They discussed cooperation issues and promising areas of interaction between Kyrgyzstan and the AKDN, in particular in the socio-economic sphere, in education, health, and development of small and medium-sized businesses. Minister Kazakbaev expressed hope that projects and programmes of the AKDN will continue to contribute to the sustainable development of the Kyrgyz Republic. AKDN projects in the country include the University of Central Asia in Naryn, a school in Osh, the First Microfinance Company, the Kyrgyz Investment and Credit Bank, and the Aga Khan Music Initiative to support music and art education.