Russian Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Nikolai Udovichenko expressed his concern about the possible reduction of the Russian language usage in the republic after the adoption of the new law "On the state language". He wrote this on his Instagram page on Thursday. "We are closely monitoring the situation with the draft of the new law "On the state language of the Kyrgyz Republic," around which there have already been heated discussions in society. Indeed, there are concerns that the adoption of the bill in its current form will lead to a reduction in the scope of the Russian language, enshrined in the Constitution as an official language, and a narrowing of the rights of Russian-speaking citizens," the head of the Russian diplomatic mission said.
He called Kyrgyz authorities to pay more attention to the use of the Russian language in the country. "It is not superfluous to recall the words of the world classic Chingiz Aitmatov, who is revered in the country, about the universal humanitarian mission of the Russian language in Kyrgyzstan. Is it worth giving that up?" Udovichenko wrote.
At the initiative of the government in Kyrgyzstan, the National Commission for the State Language has developed a new draft law "On the state language", which will soon be submitted to the national parliament. The bill provides for the reduction of the scope of the Russian language in the republic, which has the official status.
In particular, the bill states that consumers in the republic will have to be served in the state language of Kyrgyzstan. However, in some cases it is allowed to use other languages, which are "acceptable to both parties". The new law also implies the compulsory knowledge of the Kyrgyz language by practically all state and municipal employees. This list includes, among others, deputies of all levels, employees of the legal sphere, teachers and lecturers, as well as medical workers.
In addition, it is proposed to increase from 50 to 70% the broadcasting of programs in the Kyrgyz language on TV channels of the country. According to sociological surveys, the Russian language is spoken by about 40-50% of the population of Kyrgyzstan, where almost 6.7 million people live; it is most widely used in the capital and the adjoining Chui oblast. In the other six provinces, the vast majority of the population uses the Kyrgyz language.
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Photo: Federation Council
Based on materials from TASS