The Hindu : International : Russia, China vow to stabilise Kyrgyzstan

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Tuesday, Mar 29, 2005

International

International

Russia, China vow to stabilise Kyrgyzstan

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW, MARCH 28. Russia and China have vowed to stabilise the situation in Kyrgyzstan following last week coup that ousted the President, Askar Akayev.

In a telephone conversation today the Foreign Ministers of Russia and China "reaffirmed the resolve of both sides to give all possible help to efforts to normalise the situation (in Kyrgyzstan) and restore law on the basis of the Constitution," said the Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday.

The new Kyrgyz Parliament, whose election triggered a coup ousting the President, Askar Akayev, has formally taken over from the old legislature as the new leaders tried to overcome a constitutional deadlock.

A paralysing standoff between the old and new legislatures was resolved on Monday with the former agreeing to bow out. The newly elected deputies promptly chose a Speaker and re-confirmed the Opposition leader, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, as Prime Minister.

Contact with Akayev

Initially Mr. Bakiyev was named Acting Prime Minister by the old legislature following the March 24 anti-Akayev revolt, despite the fact that its authority had by then expired.

The newly elected Speaker, Omurbek Tekebayev, said a special parlaimentary commission would establish contact with Mr. Akayev, who is in Russia, to seek his voluntary resignation. This would open the way to the holding of a presidential election.

The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, ordered his Ministers to see what help Russia can give Kyrgyzstan. On Saturday Mr. Bakiyev requested Mr. Putin to help stabilise the situation.

Mr. Putin also instructed the military to go ahead with joint wargames with Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian states planned for early next month in Tajikistan. He said Kyrgyzstan's new leaders confirmed to him that their troops would take part in the games organised by the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, which unites Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Belarus and Armenia.

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