Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – On 12 November 2020, the first press conference of Sadyr Japarov was held with the participation of 148 journalists from 86 republican and foreign media.

Of the 34 questions asked, the majority concerned topics covered such issues as the upcoming elections, political reforms, the socio-economic situation in the country, as well as interaction with foreign countries. It should be noted that Sadyr Japarov answered exclusively in the Kyrgyz language. Even with foreign journalists, acting the president spoke the state language. 

The event lasted for about 1.5 hours. At the same time, Sadyr Japarov said that he planned to communicate with journalists for 3-4 hours, but he was forced to interrupt the press conference in connection with the upcoming telephone conversations with the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin.

Commenting on the results of the first meeting of S. Japarov with journalists, experts draw attention to the following most relevant statements by the acting President of Kyrgyzstan.

1. Conducting constitutional reform. This issue has been raised several times. According to the head of Kyrgyzstan, it is necessary to return to the presidential form of government, since parliamentarism and the party system have discredited themselves, and, based on this, the people initiate political reform. Mr. Japarov noted that experts are preparing a project, according to which 55 seats in parliament will be on party lists, 35 - in single-mandate constituencies. In total, the Jogorku Kenesh will have 90 deputies (currently - 120).

At the same time, Sadyr Japarov stressed that all accusations that he intends to establish a dictatorship through reforms are unfounded. In his opinion, the Kyrgyz people have repeatedly demonstrated that they will not allow dictatorship.

2. Conducting fair and open elections. Sadyr Japarov stated that his main goal is to ensure the holding of open and competitive elections, which is the guarantor of the country’s stability, since all previous revolutions occurred due to dishonest elections. In this case, acting president noted that in case of defeat in the upcoming elections, his supporters will not come out to the square and will accept the people’s choice.

At the same time, answering the question whether Sadyr Japarov will accept responsibility as a leader if there are any sabotage by other candidates who are trying to enlist the support of the Kremlin, the head of state said that “in this case he will take all measures, but he believes that the allied states will not agree to this. "

3. Improving the socio-economic situation. According to Sadyr Japarov, at present the economic situation in the country remains stable, the state is trying to fulfill its social obligations to the population. In particular, the issue of the supply of medicines has been resolved, as well as compensation payments to physicians involved in the fight against coronavirus. At the same time, Sadyr Japarov said that the state is now not ready to raise public sector wages.

Answering the question regarding support for business and investments, Sadyr Japarov noted that he would personally protect all investors who intend to do business in the country. It was emphasized that he has already met with over 100 investors and instructed to solve all the problems they face.

4. Bishkek’s aspiration to minimize vulnerability to China. Sadyr Japarov noted that in a difficult economic situation, an option is being considered to pay off the debt to China with raw materials from the Jetim-Too iron deposit in Naryn region, the reserves of which are estimated at 5 billion tons (about US$50 billion). According to the acting president, if the Chinese side, which refused to prolong the state debt, agrees, Bishkek can pay about US$1 billion in raw materials in 1 year.

At the same time, Japarov assured that all rumors about the transfer of land to the Chinese are a provocation, and he does not intend to give even a meter of Kyrgyz land to China.

5. Resolving issues of delimitation and demarcation of borders. According to Sadyr Japarov, the transfer of the Border Service to the State Committee for National Security increases the efficiency of the system to ensure border security and resolve border issues. In this regard, in the near future, the Kyrgyz side will begin work on organizing negotiations with neighboring countries, since, as noted by Sadyr Japarov, the Central Asian states declare that the previous authorities of Kyrgyzstan were delaying this process.

In general, as experts conclude, during the press conference, Sadyr Japarov tried to position himself as an open and constructive politician towards dialogue with the media. Observers also notice that there were no “prepared” questions at the event, no laudatory comments addressed to the acting president. President. This, in turn, according to analysts, helps to increase public confidence in S. Japarov before the elections.