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POLITICAL SITUATION IN KYRGYZSTAN
ALBERT BOGDANOV,
Head of the Foreign Information Department at the KABAR Informational Agency (Kyrgyzstan)
KYRGYZSTAN IS NOT READY TO WITHDRAW THE AMERICAN BASE
The attitude of Russia, USA and China to the new Kyrgyz authorities is determined by the political situation in Kyrgyzstan. There are a lot of problems there.
Firstly, the society is waiting for changes, economic and political reforms. But the process is at a standstill.
Secondly, a serious political crisis is possible in the near future since the existing Parliament is not legitimate any more. The society turns a blind eye to the fact that the Parliament created under the former President of Kyrgyzstan Askar Akayev still exists, because it is frightened by the massacre occurred during the struggle for power. But the question will be raised soon. The signatures for dissolving the Parliament are being collected.
Thirdly, only the top political leaders have been altered. The majority of officials are keeping their posts. Corruption is as high as before. Oppositionists are being dismissed.
The regime fails to carry out reforms since political institutions (parties and nongovernmental organizations) cannot do it.
Fourthly, Kyrgyzstan has faced significant economic problems. People live in grinding poverty. Many enterprises are ruined.
Thus, the political situation in Kyrgyzstan is far from stable. Due to this Moscow or Beijing are not able to build the long-term relationships with the new authorities of Kyrgyzstan.
Kyrgyzstan is interested in cooperation with many countries including Russia, Kazakhstan and China.
All countries are willing to develop large-scale projects in Kyrgyzstan. China offers to build a railway in Kyrgyzstan. Russia proposes to construct a hydraulic power plant and an aluminum plant. India and South Korea show interest towards Kyrgyzstan as a potential transit country.
But all projects and initiatives have been suspended. We can not reckon on their implementation in the near future. All the countries are waiting until Kyrgyzstan paves the way for that. But now it fails to do that.
As regards the relationships between Kyrgyzstan and the USA, they are not expected to be worsened. This is due to the fact that the U.S. military base will not be withdrawn until the situation in Afghanistan is stabilized. The new Kyrgyz leadership has the same point of view.
Besides, Kyrgyzstan needs this base reasoning from the economic benefits. It is more profitable than the Russian one, and the new Kyrgyz authorities will not refuse the U.S. military base to be withdrawn.
In these conditions the statement of Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev on a possible withdrawal of the American base was nothing but a declaration. It was made under pressure from Russia and other countries interested in the withdrawal of the American base. At the last Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Kurmanbek Bakiyev could not resist that pressure.
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