We are for multipolarity, but we want EAEU reforms – Speaker of the Jogorku Kenesh gave an interview to Rossiyskaya Gazeta | KLOOP.KG

2023-04-21 13:27:06

In an interview, Shakiev hinted that expectations from Kyrgyzstan’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) were not fully justified.

“We, to be honest, expected a lot of positive [от членства в ЕАЭС]. We thought it would be good for our migrants, entrepreneurs, freedom of trade would be established. Unfortunately, we have encountered the fact that artificial barriers are almost constantly being created within the Union. At the same time, some countries that are not members of the EAEU have received such benefits and opportunities that we do not have,” said the Speaker of the Jogorku Kenesh.

Therefore, he said, Kyrgyzstan is ready to soon raise the issue of reforming the union, “so that between [его] there were no barriers by the participants”, and that it be “the way they dreamed about it, the way they wanted to see it”. Shakiev emphasized that the desire for changes in the EAEU does not mean the desire to liquidate it.

Also, according to the speaker, Kyrgyzstan considers it necessary to reform the UN and the CIS.

When asked about the “rapidly changing world order,” Shakiev replied that Kyrgyzstan is a supporter of a “multipolar world,” the formation of which is being led by “current processes.”

“The hegemony of any power in the modern world is unacceptable. This should not be the case in the 21st century. […] The main thing is that what is happening in the international arena should lead the planet to peace. We are supporters of friendship and joint development, and we believe that it is important to build relations on the basis of mutual respect and equality,” he said.

According to the speaker of the Jogorku Kenesh, Kyrgyzstan perceives the war between Russia and Ukraine “as its own tragedy.”

“Both Russia and Ukraine are fraternal countries for us. […] We live in one world, on one planet, and war causes terrible damage not only to people, but to the whole world. We want all conflicts, including the one that is happening now, to end as soon as possible. After all, not only the military, but also civilians are dying. And human life, in our opinion, is higher than any other values,” Shakiev said.

Answering a question about the status of the Russian language in Kyrgyzstan (journalists felt that the Kyrgyz authorities were “reconfiguring” the language policy, which could deprive Kyrgyz migrants of advantages in the Russian labor market), Shakiev said that they misinterpreted Kyrgyzstan’s initiative to increase the role of the state language.

“We do not want to infringe or somehow suppress the Russian language. Absolutely! The official status of the Russian language is enshrined in our Constitution, and we are not going to change this,” the speaker promised.

At the same time, he spoke in favor of increasing the role of the Kyrgyz language in Kyrgyzstan.

“Only five million people speak Kyrgyz in the world. Five out of seven million ethnic Kyrgyz! If our language disappears, in 10-20 years the people and their culture will die out. In the world, in the conditions of globalization, there are many similar examples. And we do not want to disappear as a people,” he explained, adding that it is wrong to oppose the development of Kyrgyz and the use of other languages, including Russian.

Rossiyskaya Gazeta is the official press organ of the Russian government, founded in 1990. In Kyrgyzstan, the newspaper has a separate editorial office, but Shakiev gave an interview to the newspaper’s director general, Pavel Negoitse.