WIPO Director General Holds Talks with President of the Kyrgyz Republic

The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Dr. Kamil Idris, met with the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Mr. Kurmanbek Bakiev, during an official visit to that country on June 16 and 17, 2008 to mark the 15^th anniversary of the opening of the Kyrgyz State Patent Service.  Dr. Idris also met with the Prime Minister, Mr. Igor Chudinov and a number of senior representatives from government and academia.

In his meeting with President Bakiev, Dr. Idris pledged WIPO’s continuing support in strengthening the intellectual property system in the Kyrgyz Republic.  Dr. Idris applauded the country’s commitment to establishing an effective national intellectual property system and underlined the importance of intellectual property as an effective means of promoting economic development, particularly for countries that were moving towards a market-oriented economy.  He said that in today’s knowledge-driven global economy, a national commitment to effective and strategic use of intellectual property is a pre-requisite to economic well-being.  Dr. Idris pointed to the huge human potential of the Kyrgyz people and their rich cultural heritage and folklore which were invaluable resources in the drive to boost the economic well-being of the country.

President Bakiev observed that the intellectual property system was a source of economic growth.  He agreed that it was an important means for further developing the country’s human resource potential and leveraging the value of its cultural heritage for economic growth and development.  The President stated that his country was committed to taking the measures necessary to fully benefit from the intellectual property system.

Discussions between Prime Minister Chudinov and Dr. Idris touched on ways to further develop the long-standing and fruitful cooperation between WIPO and the Kyrgyz Republic.  Prime Minister Chudinov thanked WIPO for its continuing support and underscored the importance that his country attached to the protection of intellectual property in its endeavor to develop an innovation driven economy. 

In his meetings with the leadership of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Director General pledged support for a project aimed at undertaking a comprehensive study on the economic contribution of the Kyrgyz Republic’s creative industries, and for developing a digital library.

He also expressed WIPO’s readiness to continue assisting the country in a number of priority areas including modernization of intellectual property legislation, development of intellectual property related human resources, and strengthening of intellectual property enforcement.

In the course of his two-day visit, the WIPO delegation participated in a number of events to mark the 15^th anniversary of the establishment of Kyrgyzstan’s State Patent Service.  Dr. Idris addressed participants in an international symposium in Bishkek hosted by the Kyrgyz State University of Construction, Transport and Architecture (KSUSTA).  At the opening of the symposium, Dr. A. Abydykalykov, Rector of the University, presented Dr. Idris with an “honorary doctorate.”  During the seminar, Dr. Idris met with senior government officials, academics, policy makers and members of the business community. 

Members of the WIPO delegation also participated in an international symposium on Intellectual Property and Traditional Knowledge organized by WIPO in cooperation with the State Patent Service of the Kyrgyz Republic (Kyrgyzpatent) headed by Mr. Nadyr Turganbaev, in Cholpon-Ata.  The seminar focused on strategies to build capacities for management of intellectual property rights in countries in transition.  It further explored current challenges faced in strengthening the national IP system in Kyrgyzstan, particularly in relation to the effective protection of traditional knowledge in that country.

Kyrgyzstan became a member of WIPO in 1994 and is party to 20 WIPO-administered treaties.