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Kyrgyzstan would like to restore common economic space

Atambayev stressed Kyrgyzstan’s readiness to make concessions
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, February 25 (Itar-Tass) — Kyrgyzstan would like to restore a common economic space and is ready to join the Euro-Asian Economic Community,” said the country’s president Almazbek Atambayev.

“In actual fact, the Customs Union has been transformed into a common economic space,” Atambayev said in an interview with Voice of Russia Radio Company. “We should like to join a common economic space, since the Soviet Union cannot be, of course, restored.”

“We should like to restore the common economic space. We are quite resolute in this case,” the Kyrgyz head continued. “We have tendered an application; we are ready to join the Euro-Asian Economic Community, but a decision will be made by the authorities of three other countries: Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.”

Atambayev stressed Kyrgyzstan’s readiness to make concessions. “Kyrgyzstan will request some preferences and delays on some points. But on the whole we are ready to concede.”

Incidentally, Atambayev went on to say that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin understand the need for changes.

“Whatever they say, I increasingly like Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev with every passing meeting. He is a thinking and decent man, which is a very rare thing now. We spoke around two hours on Friday. He is a strong and in-depth man, understanding the situation in the country,” the Kyrgyz president said in an interview with the Ekho Moskvy radio station.

There is also much negative talk about Putin, but the fact that people in Russia don’t think now what to eat, but speak about democracy, is Putin’s result of work,” Atambayev also said. “Believe me, Putin understands the need for changes. You should have just a bit of patience.”