Interesting news from Kyrgyzstan, a country that is perhaps Russia’s biggest ally in Central Asia. The country’s national parliament, the Jogorku Kenesh, has passed a law to protect and promote the Kyrgyz language. “We have passed important laws on the state language, for which the deputies of previous convocations lacked determination,” said the speaker of the parliament, Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu.
Now, the status of the Kyrgyz language will be higher than that of Russian. The spokesman of the legislative body joined the speaker of the parliament: “If we are indifferent to the Kyrgyz language, we will cease to be a nation in the coming years.”
According to the new law, at least 60% of the content on radio and television must be in Kyrgyz, place names must be written in Kyrgyz, and Kyrgyz text in advertisements must be larger than Russian.
All civil servants, including judges, prosecutors, officials, deputies, and appointed ministers, must speak Kyrgyz. The rule also applies to law enforcement officers. In addition, failure to speak Kyrgyz can now result in the denial of residence status and expulsion from the country.
Kyrgyzstan is a key ally of Russia, helping it circumvent Western sanctions. Hundreds of thousands of Kyrgyz work in Russia and about 80% of Kyrgyzstan’s seven million people speak Russian, which is widely used in everyday communication.
This makes it the fifth post-Soviet country in the region to promote national identity since Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine began. Earlier, Kyrgyzstan also decided to change its anthem so that it would not be reminiscent of the Soviet period. A competition is currently underway for new lyrics and music for the anthem.
Bandera’s slogan, “Away from Moscow!” is becoming increasingly popular and relevant in countries that were close and friendly to the Russians. It is acquiring practical meaning. National leaders understand that without the growth of national consciousness, it is impossible to build a full-fledged independent state.
