Exodus of Ethnic Russians Worries Kyrgyzstan

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Subject: Exodus of Ethnic Russians Worries Kyrgyzstan

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Exodus of Ethnic Russians Worries Kyrgyzstan


Exodus of Ethnic Russians Worries Kyrgyzstan
 
BISHKEK, May 22 (Reuters) - Ex-Soviet Kyrgyzstan is worried about the
exodus of ethnic Russians from its territory and plans to offer them
incentives to stay, a presidential spokesman said on Monday.
 
"In recent times, emigration among the Russian-speaking population has
grown considerably," said Osmankun Ibraimov. "This worries not only
the government but also the people."
 
The Federal Migration Service at the Russian embassy in Bishkek told
Reuters that about 18,000 people had applied to leave for Russia so
far this year, compared with 25,000 for the whole of 1999.
 
"First of all, there are the economic reasons and the lack of
employment, and second, the unclear situation with the language," said
Vasily Ostapchuk, head of the FMS.
 
Ibraimov said the government was trying to calm such fears by making
Russian an official language along with Kyrgyz - a Turkic language -
and by offering top posts to ethnic Russians.
 
President Askar Akayev in April asked parliament to grant Russian the
status of an official language as soon as possible.
 
According to Kyrgyzstan's statistics agency, about 6,300 people left
for Russia last year, twice as many as in 1998. Between 1990 and 1998,
over 370,000 people left the country, including Slavs, ethnic Germans
and Jews.
 
Kyrgyzstan was badly affected by the 1998 financial crisis in Russia,
its largest trading partner. It also lacks the oil and mineral wealth
which has attracted investors to its Central Asian neighbours, and
average monthly wages are about $22.
 
But many Slavs emigrating from Central Asia to Russia, Ukraine and
Belarus also complain of discrimination at work and education since
the fall of the Soviet Union.
 
Both Kyrgyzstan and neighbouring Kazakhstan, where nearly half the
population is ethnic Slav, say the departure of the mostly
well-educated Russians could have damaging consequences for their
economy.
 
"Kyrgyzstan considers Russian-speaking people as creators of the
state, they built this country and no one wants them to leave because
of temporary economic problems," Ibraimov said.
 
Poverty is also forcing non-Slavs to emigrate, he said, adding that
300,000 Kyrgyz now live in Russia.
 
Kyrgyzstan has a population of 4.8 million, of whom 65 percent are
Kyrgyz and 12.5 percent ethnic Russians. In 1990, Russians constituted
21 percent of the population.


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