COVID-19 Latest
Kyrgyzstan|politics|January 1, 2019 / 03:20 PM
Year in review: Murder of Burulai and other most significant events in Kyrgyzstan in 2018

AKIPRESS.COM - With the new year's quickly approaching, it's the time of the year to remind our readers the most significant events in Kyrgyzstan in the outgoing year.

Development of regions

President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbai Jeenbekov signed a decree on proclaiming 2018 the year of regions' development on January 9, 2018.

The document provides for the redistribution of finances among the regions of Kyrgyzstan, boosting agricultural processing, improving social infrastructure (clean drinking water, irrigation, schools, hospitals, etc.), decentralization of regional management, and introducing direct management if needed.

Regional development also implies the development of small cities and therefore, 14 cities out of 20 were chosen as "growth points" under the program of socio-economic development of cities.

One of the indicators and promises of the president was the program to provide clean drinking water to all villages in the country by 2023. The National Sustainable Development Strategy's first stage until 2023 provides funding for regional development.

Security council

On February 8, 2018, President Jeenbekov held his first meeting of the Security Council to discuss comprehensive fight against corruption in the judicial, law enforcement and supervisory bodies.

The decisions of the Security Council were drown up until the end of the year and further with the aim of introducing systemic reforms. The Security Council meeting was a starting point of Jeenbekov's presidency.

At the meeting, Jeenbekov pointed out several times that he is the elected president of Kyrgyzstan and the people chose him with hope.

At that time, Secretary of the Security Council Damir Saginbayev was the only security official who was appointed by the President. The President started his fight against ex-president Almazbek Atambayev's people from that meeting. In Jeenbekov's presidency, the Security Council Secretariat remains an influential structure compared to previous years.

Foreign policy

President Jeenbekov paid his first foreign visit to Russia and his first state visit to China.

Since start of his presidency, Jeenbekov visited all countries of Central Asia: Uzbekistan (on December 13-14, 2017), Kazakhstan (on December 25-26, 2017), Tajikistan (on February 1-2,  2018) and Turkmenistan (August 23, 2018).

He also traveled to Turkey, Belgium, the USA (UN General Assembly).

Since assuming the post, Jeenbekov had 30 visits and events, 77 bilateral and 414 multilateral international documents were signed, and 7 meetings of intergovernmental commissions with foreign countries were held. Kyrgyzstan established diplomatic relations with 4 foreign countries, according to the presidential press service.

The main foreign policy moment for Kyrgyzstan in 2018 was the improvement of relations with Kazakhstan, it was inevitable after the change of power. Relations with Turkey improved as well. Uncertainties have risen in relations with China, and it is not clear yet how the scandal over the modernization of Bishkek power plant and investigations around it, as well as possible investigations of other mega-projects with Chinese participation, were perceived by Beijing.

World Nomad Games

The 3rd World Nomad Games were held in Kyrgyzstan in September. At the same time, on September 3, the summit of the heads of state of the Turkic Council with the participation of the presidents of Turkey Recep Erdogan, Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev took place in Cholpon-Ata. Presidents of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban were also in attendance as guests of honor.

The WNG is first of all an advertising of Kyrgyzstan as a one of a kind tourism spot. According to statistics, 2018 was a tourism boom as more than 5 million people visited Kyrgyzstan for the first time ever. Kyrgyzstan is getting more popular among not only the tourists, but also businessmen.

Murder of Burulai

Burulai Turdaliyeva was a victim of bride kidnapping. She was killed by her kidnapper inside police station on May 28, 2018. She was only 20. Brutal killing of the 20-year-old medical student has sparked public outrage.

The tragic unfolded the two main problems Kyrgyzstan has: bride kidnapping still exists in Kyrgyzstan and gender-based discrimination continues despite tougher penalties; and the situation in the law enforcement bodies is extremely poor and police officers do not cope with their task to protect their citizens. Murder took place inside police station. It speaks for the depth of the problem. 

Fight against corruption

Fight against corruption has been a cornerstone of the political process in the country throughout the entire year. As a result, almost all the close associates of ex-President Atambayev were arrested.

10 days before the anniversary of the inauguration, President Jeenbekov gave his first interview to answer questions about economics, politics and his personal life. In an interview, he commented on current relations with with former president Almazbek Atambayev. “Attempts to control me through the third parties do no honor for him as a person, ex-president, a fellow party member, or a friend," he said.

Two days later, ex-president Almazbek Atambayev gave a follow-up interview criticizing Jeenbekov. The confrontation between two has become public and it will last the next year, too.

2019, a year before the parliamentary elections, will be extra-politically active in Kyrgyzstan, which means that acute economic tasks could be taken out of the focus amid largely expected global economic slowdown.

The first months of 2019 are expected to see formation of new political blocs that will begin preparations for the elections. Political processes in Kyrgyzstan amid global economic slowdown can get accelerated due to random factors such as natural or man-made disasters, sharp depreciation of the national currency or a possible invasion of Afghan jihadists in one of the neighboring countries.

In one word, 2018 was very unpredictable year for Kyrgyzstan and the next 2019 year is going to be...

All rights reserved

© AKIpress News Agency - 2001-2024.

Republication of any material is prohibited without a written agreement with AKIpress News Agency.

Any citation must be accompanied by a hyperlink to akipress.com.

Our address:

299/5 Chingiz Aitmatov Prosp., Bishkek, the Kyrgyz Republic

e-mail: english@akipress.org, akipressenglish@gmail.com;

Follow us:

Log in


Forgot your password? - recover

Not registered yet? - sign-up

Sign-up

I have an account - log in

Password recovery

I have an account - log in