On 16-19 January 2018, the Leaders Advancing Democracy Summit (LEAD Alliance), organized by the International Republican Institute, was held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
LEAD is a program that brings together emerging leaders from diverse sectors and civil society of Mongolia, Bhutan, Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan. Within the framework of the Summit, participants met with prominent political and social figures, including ministers and members of the State Great Khural (Parliament) of Mongolia.
Lawyer of Kalikova & Associates, Ermek Mamaev became one of six participants and the leader of the team from Kyrgyzstan, selected by the organizers on a competitive basis.
At the end of the Summit, each team received a small grant to implement short-term projects in their communities in the following areas:
- transparency & anti-corruption;
- environment & urbanization;
- poverty alleviation & unemployment.
At present, team LEAD Kyrgyzstan is implementing a social project aimed at helping people with disabilities in Kyrgyzstan.
On 14-15 February 2018, the Citizens Forum of Central Asia was held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on water related issues coincided with the VIII World Water Forum in Brazil
Main goals and objectives of the Forum:
- to promote the goals of the VIII World Water Forum in Brazil, taking into account the proposals from the civil society of Central Asia.
- to create partnerships to ensure the "participation of all sectors of society" and partnerships promoted by the 2030 Sustainable Development Program, including those groups of society that often and easily stay behind.
- to contribute to the Agenda for Action of the High-level Panel on Water.
To achieve these goals, the Forum participants worked in 4 groups: Local communities, Academia, Women (Gender), and Youth. Two delegates from Kyrgyzstan attended the Forum as a part of the Youth group, including the Lawyer of Kalikova & Associates, Ermek Mamaev.
As a result, the Forum participants developed proposals regarding the water resources of Central Asia, which will be presented during the VIII World Water Forum to be held in Brazil on 18-23 March 2018.
Partner Aicholpon Jorupbekova has been promoted to Managing Partner of Kalikova & Associates law firm.
Aicholpon joined the firm in 2005 and as partner led the firm’s Minerals & Metals and Oil & Gas practices. Aicholpon is a graduate of the American University of Central Asia and Washington College of Law and has more than 15 years’ experience advising clients on foreign investments, mining, M&A and operational issues representing them before state authorities, mining regulators and JV partners in the Kyrgyz Republic.
"I am honored to take over the management of Kalikova & Associates and will continue focusing on providing high quality and comprehensive advice to our clients guided by our firm’s values of professionalism and result-oriented approach. I am fortunate to lead a unique team of talented lawyers with strength and expertise in various disciplines and strong commitment to put the client’s interest first. It is a challenge for me but I see it as a great opportunity to take the firm to the next level. I am grateful to my colleagues for their trust and support”, Aicholpon commented on her appointment.
Ulan Tilenbaev stepped down after 8 successful years in the role and returned to full time legal practice. “I wish Aicholpon success in her new role. She is an outstanding lawyer, and I am confident that she will provide excellent leadership to our law firm. Over the years, we have been involved in the largest and most innovative projects, the firm has maintained its leading position by continuously being ranked as a top tier law firm. We have a solid platform for further growth and success ", said Ulan.
Gulnara Kalikova, founding partner of Kalikova & Associates, decided to take up a new role as strategic counsel and to devote her considerable experience to developing the firm's PPP practice.
Kalikova & Associates is now the largest and one of the leading full service law firms in the Kyrgyz Republic. According to Chambers and Legal 500 international rating editions: Kalikova & Associates maintains its position as a popular choice for international and domestic companies and financial institutions. Clients refer to Kalikova & Associates’ team as “reliable, great team players”, “knowledgeable about local and international market practices”, and “ready and willing to go the extra mile”.
The hearings held by the Parliamentary Committee on Economic and Fiscal Policy on February 16, 2018 were attended by the members of Government, Ministry of Economy, other public authorities and local administration offices, international organizations and business community.
Participants discussed issues related to public-private partnership (PPP) implementation in Kyrgyzstan. Concerns were raised that PPP implementation is lagging due to complex legislation and mechanisms that require further refinement and revision.
K&A Counsel Gulnara Kalikova made a presentation on the existing gaps and obstacles in the current PPP Law, including in respect of project preparation and private partner selection.
Reportedly, the Government intends to submit the draft of the new PPP Law to the Parliament in the near future. K&A lawyers are proud to have contributed, together with the Ministry of Economy, to the drafting of the new PPP Law.
Kalikova and Associates has once again won international recognition from Chambers Global 2018. According to its latest edition, Kalikova and Associates continues to rank as the only Band 1 law firm in Kyrgyzstan.
Clients laud the firm stating that “the team is very flexible and attentive to our preferences”, “they can quickly adjust the approach as needed and always deliver high-quality results." The source says: "they are reliable, great team players and content-driven. Pleasant to work with, ready and willing to go the extra mile. They are practical, fast and accurate. They are knowledgeable about local and international market practices."
Ms. Gulnara Kalikova is recognized for having vast expertise in energy, natural resources, healthcare, infrastructure and PPP policy. "She is amazing, most impressive," enthuses a client.
Partner Mr. Ulan Tilenbaev is praised for having expertise in advising international infrastructure and natural resources clients on financial and corporate law issues.
Partner Mr. Maksim Smirnov is esteemed by Chambers Global 2018 edition as a recognized expert in the field of tax law and tax disputes. Clients praise him as a person who: "is always very helpful, fast and responsive and provides valuable comments."
Partner Mr. Alexander Ahn is recognized as a highly reputable banking and project finance lawyer. Clients praise him as "a strong lawyer and very promising", and note that "he is diligent and polite, and treats co-operation with us very seriously."
Kalikova & Associates is one of the leading law firms in the Kyrgyz Republic specializing in business law. As part of its initiative to support the development of the new generation of legal professionals Kalikova & Associates announces its annual Scholarship Program among students of law schools. A winner of K&A Scholarship will receive 10,000 som and an opportunity to undergo up to 3 months of internship at Kalikova & Associates.
More information about the program you may find by the following link
On February 1, 2018 the State Committee on Industry, Energy and Mineral Resources of the Kyrgyz Republic, with financial support from the Peace Nexus Foundation, presented a guide aimed at resolving conflicts in the mining sector of the Kyrgyz Republic. The main idea of the guide is to advise investors, government authorities on the necessary measures that can be taken to prevent and mitigate mining conflicts with local communities in the future.
Aicholpon Jorupbekova, the Leader of Exploration & Mining Practice at Kalikova and Associates, presented the legal part of the Guide.
Kalikova and Associates has once again won international recognition from Chambers Asia Pacific Rankings 2018. According to its latest edition, Kalikova and Associates continues to rank as the only Band 1 law firm in Kyrgyzstan.
Clients laud the firm stating that “the team is very flexible and attentive to our preferences”, “they can quickly adjust the approach as needed and always deliver high-quality results." The source says: "they are reliable, great team players and content-driven. Pleasant to work with, ready and willing to go the extra mile. They are practical, fast and accurate. They are knowledgeable about local and international market practices."
Founding Partner Ms. Gulnara Kalikova is recognized for having vast expertise in energy, natural resources, healthcare, infrastructure and PPP policy. "She is amazing, most impressive," enthuses a client.
Managing Partner Mr. Ulan Tilenbaev is praised for having expertise in advising international infrastructure and natural resources clients on financial and corporate law issues.
Partner Mr. Maksim Smirnov is esteemed by Chambers Asia Pacific 2018 edition as a recognized expert in the field of tax law and tax disputes. Clients praise him as a person who: "is always very helpful, fast and responsive and provides valuable comments."
Partner Mr. Alexander Ahn is recognized as a highly reputable banking and project finance lawyer. Clients praise him as "a strong lawyer and very promising", and note that "he is diligent and polite, and treats co-operation with us very seriously."
On 5-7 September 2017, the XXVII Economic Forum in Krynica-Zdrój was held. The Forum is held on an annual basis and is the biggest political and economic event in Central and Eastern Europe, which gathers representatives of the economic and political elite from 60 countries of the world. This Forum is also called "Polish Davos".
This year, the Forum hosted more than 3 thousand guests. Honorary participants of the Forum were the presidents of Poland, Georgia, Macedonia and the former president of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko. Two delegates from Kyrgyzstan attended the Forum, including the Lawyer of Kalikova & Associates, Ermek Mamaev.
The All China Lawyers Association initiated the publication of Legal Environment Report of the “Belt and Road” countries. Kalikova & Associates was invited as the author of the section of this report concerning the Kyrgyz Republic.
The team of our lawyers prepared a review report regarding the legislation on investment, taxation, customs control, labor and immigration, protection of intellectual property and anti-corruption legislation.
This publication is a unique contribution of participants from 43 countries, who are members of the “Belt and Road”, and is considered as a handbook covering various sectors of the economy.
Kalikova & Associates lawyers took part in the 5th “Anti-Counterfeiting 2017” international forum, which was held in Bishkek from September 14 to 16, 2017.
The event was organized by the Eurasian Economic Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, the International Association “Anti-Counterfeiting”, and the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic.
The forum "Anti-Counterfeiting" is an international event that is held within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). The forum is held on an annual basis from 2012 and is considered as a discussion platform, where representatives of ministries and government agencies of the EEU member states, as well as leading international experts, representatives of the scientific community and the members of the society, have an opportunity to discuss the problems of protecting markets from illegal trade of counterfeit goods and ensuring protection of intellectual property rights, as well as to develop solutions to the problems.
Kalikova & Associates Senior Lawyer Aleksei Vandaev took part in the session “Antimonopoly Control in Cross-border Markets: Unfair Competition” and made a presentation on “Practical Aspects of Suppression of Unfair Competition in the Kyrgyz Republic”.