Since 1991, the Kyrgyz Republic has made significant progress in offering an attractive environment to foreign investors. It has a stable political environment, low inflation, recent and projected growth rates of at least 6 per cent per annum, and has made significant improvements in the legal regime regulating foreign investment. The Republic had initially no foreign investments in 1991 but by the end of 1997 these approached $250 million. Substantial further investment is expected in mining, energy production, agri-business, light industry and tourism in the future. The Investment Guide for the Kyrgyz Republic has been prepared with three objectives: firstly, to identify the opportunities which are likely to interest foreign investors; secondly, to provide the investor with relevant information on the historical, political, economic, financial and legal framework, and thirdly to draw attention to areas of policy and legislation where additional measures will further increase its comparative advantages as an investment location.