Izvestia: "Kyrgyzstan set to join Customs Union"
Kyrgyzstan plans to resume joint energy projects with Russia and is also inclined to join the Customs Union currently comprised of Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his newly-appointed Kyrgyz counterpart Almazbek Atambayev discussed this possibility at their first face-to-face meeting.
In the spring of 2010, Kyrgyzstan experienced an upheaval that toppled the government of Kurmanbek Bakiyev. The country found itself on the verge of civil war and economic ruin. At long last, the national situation began to stabilise. Ten days after his appointment, Atambayev flew to Moscow on his first foreign visit to Russia. He will have to reinstate a bilateral strategic partnership from scratch.
"We are very happy that the period of establishing state institutions has ended, and we hope that all of you will manage to cope with primarily economic problems," Putin told Atambayev.
He said that numerous problems had accumulated over the course of the political upheaval. The new government has inherited most of them, including the consequences of the economic crisis and turbulent political processes taking place in Kyrgyzstan for a long time, from its predecessor. Russia made it clear that it will not leave its southern neighbour in trouble.
"We have issued a $20 million grant and gratis aid worth $10 million," Putin said. "The volume of Russia's humanitarian aid will total nearly $25 million. We have sent 1.5 million tonnes of grain and the necessary diesel fuel. But these are urgent measures to sustain everyday life. Today, we must do everything in order to normalise the situation," Putin added.
"I have repeatedly stated that Russia is our main strategic partner. There is no alternative here because we have a common past. And we perceive Kyrgyzstan as inseparably linked with Russia," Atambayev noted.
At the same time, Kyrgyzstan hopes to resume joint energy projects with Russia and join the Customs Union on a par with Belarus and Kazakhstan. Atambayev reminded Putin that joint projects involving Gazprom and KyrgyzGaz, as well as hydropower projects involving RusHydro, had been discussed in the past. He said such plans should now be reinstated.
Anastasia Savinykh
