Putin Commends Kyrgyzstan for Upholding Russian Language Amid National Language Promotion

On Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin commended Kyrgyzstan for maintaining the «special status» of the Russian language, even as the Central Asian nation works to enhance the prominence of Kyrgyz in public domains.

«I want to express my gratitude for the recognition of the Russian language’s special status in Kyrgyzstan,» Putin stated during a meeting with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov at the Kremlin.

«This policy enables us to collaborate more effectively across various sectors, including the economy,» he added, noting an 11% rise in trade between the two nations projected for 2024.

Putin’s comments followed a week after Kyrgyzstan’s parliament approved legislation mandating that public officials be fluent in Kyrgyz and stipulating that at least 60% of all broadcast content on television and radio must be in Kyrgyz. Additionally, the bill requires that place names be displayed in Kyrgyz and that any Kyrgyz text in advertisements must be larger than its Russian counterparts.

As of now, Japarov has not yet ratified the bill.

Although both Kyrgyz and Russian are designated as official languages in Kyrgyzstan, Russian maintains a greater social prestige in much of Central Asia, which often translates into better job prospects and opportunities for work migration to Russia.

However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, together with the nationalistic rhetoric of Russian officials regarding the defense of Russian-speaking minorities in former Soviet states, has led many Central Asian nations to revive and promote their native languages.

Some Russian politicians have voiced objections to these initiatives, accusing Central Asian officials of attempting to distance their countries from Moscow.

Reporting by AFP contributed to this article.