Uzbekistan will retain its citizens' pensions when they move to Kyrgyzstan.

Uzbekistan will continue to pay pensions to its citizens who have relocated to Kyrgyzstan.

This provision is enshrined in the agreement on state social insurance and pension provision, signed by the governments of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan on July 30 in Cholpon-Ata, according to the Pension Fund of Uzbekistan.

According to the new agreement, a pensioner's relocation from Uzbekistan to Kyrgyzstan will not terminate their Uzbek pension. As explained by Alisher Rasulov, head of the Pension Fund department, citizens will be able to open a bank account in Kyrgyzstan and provide its details to Uzbekistan, after which their pension will be transferred to this account.

The agreement also regulates the pension provision procedure for citizens with work experience in both countries. The parties agreed to apply a proportional principle, according to which each state assigns and pays a pension based on the length of service and wages earned in its territory.

Thus, if a citizen worked in both Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, each state will be responsible for pension payments for the corresponding period of employment. The agreement also provides for mutual recognition of work experience.

The new agreements also aim to resolve a number of issues related to the application of the 1992 international agreement on guarantees of the rights of citizens of CIS member states in the area of pension provision. Specifically, the parties defined a bilateral procedure for the mutual recognition of work experience.

The agreement was signed during the state visit of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Kyrgyzstan. At the invitation of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, the Uzbek leader visited the country from July 30 to August 1.

During the high-level talks, the presidents discussed the further strengthening of friendly relations, good-neighborliness, and strategic partnership. The agenda also included issues of increasing mutual trade, expanding industrial cooperation, developing transport connectivity, and cultural and humanitarian cooperation.

For the agreement to enter into force, the parties must complete the relevant internal procedures and ratify the document.

According to Alisher Rasulov, Uzbekistan plans to negotiate similar agreements with other CIS and neighboring countries, including Turkey, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan.