Kyrgyzstan's Prime Minister Akylbek Zhaparov has expressed confidence that the country is not concerned about potential Western sanctions due to its cooperation with Russia in an interview with the Kyrgyz state news agency Kabar.
"We have no fear of any sanctions," - Zhaparov asserted. - "Life continues even if they [sanctions] are there. Secondly, there are no objective reasons for imposing sanctions. Third, it was not us who suspended the Mir card."
He clarified that the Kyrgyz Cabinet became aware of the suspension of Russian Mir cards only after the Interbank Processing Center (IPC), which is not government-owned but managed by commercial banks, ceased servicing these cards. "Even the National Bank does not have control over the IPC, which is more than 54% owned by commercial banks," Zhaparov elaborated.
He speculated that the republic's commercial banks might have feared potential sanctions. "The Mir card would have been more beneficial to us than to the Russians. The suspension of service for this card will not impact Russia in any way. We needed this system to work more in our favor than anything else. Since it ceased to function, we began exploring alternative methods," Zhaparov explained.
Zhaparov suggested that the IPC should have coordinated this issue with the Cabinet of Ministers, given the significant number of Kyrgyz citizens in Russia who used the Mir card. "All of them utilized the Mir card. We have been requesting Russia for three years to open its bank or a branch of a large bank in Kyrgyzstan. They have promised, but so far, they have not done so," he noted.
On April 3, 2024, the IPC announced the suspension of service for Mir cards in Kyrgyzstan, citing concerns about falling under sanctions imposed by the US Treasury Department against Russia. Earlier, Zhaparov had announced his intention to visit the US to convey that restrictions on cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and Russia would lead to extremely negative consequences for the republic's economy.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Federation Council
According to TASS materials