Presidential Spokesman Shares Sadyr Japarov’s Letter to U.S. Secretary of State
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has given a response to a letter from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that expressed concern about a draft law on amendments to the Law on Non-Profit Organizations under consideration by the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan. The response was posted to Facebook by the presidential spokesman, Askat Alagozov.
In his letter, Japarov expressed gratitude for the high assessment of the C5+1 summit held in New York last September and the willingness to work together with the US to promote common priorities of cooperation in multilateral and bilateral formats. However, he also expressed regret that the content of Blinken’s letter had signs of interference in the internal affairs of Kyrgyzstan.
The Kyrgyz President stressed that the draft law in question aims to clarify and streamline the activities of non-governmental/non-profit organizations operating in the country. The draft law was initiated by a group of members of the Kyrgyz Parliament and provides amendments to the current Law of the Kyrgyz Republic «On Non-Profit Organizations», which was adopted in 1999.
Japarov emphasized that the Kyrgyz state intends to control where the money comes from for these non-governmental/non-profit organizations, how, for what purposes, by whom and where it is to be spent. He pointed out that the concept of the draft Law is close to the current Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) adopted in the USA in 1938. He also stated that laws passed in Kyrgyzstan are based on generally accepted principles and norms of international law, which proclaim the permissibility of restricting freedom to receive and impart information in the interests of national security, public order, and protection of health and morality.
The Kyrgyz President also addressed concerns raised by American implementing partners, calling for an audit of the use of funds by non-governmental/non-profit organizations funded by U.S. government organizations for the last 10 years.
Japarov extended an invitation to Antony Blinken to visit Kyrgyzstan and witness that human rights and freedoms in the country are reliably protected by the Constitution and laws of the Kyrgyz Republic. He emphasized that Kyrgyzstan stands for equal cooperation and is ready to work together with all countries and international partners, including the United States, with the only request for them not to interfere in the internal affairs of the country.
