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US disappointed by Kyrgyzstan’s plans to denounce cooperation agreement with Washington

US State Department earlier handed its Human Rights Defenders Award to Kyrgyz national Azimzhan Askarov who was sentenced to life imprisonment in Kyrgyzstan

© ITAR-TASS/Yuriy Smityuk

BISHKEK, July 20. /TASS/. The United States is disappointed by Kyrgyzstan’s plans to unilaterally denounce the cooperation agreement with Washington, the US Embassy in the republic said on Monday.

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Kyrgyzstan accuses US of inciting ethnic hatred in the country

The embassy said the US is studying technical consequences of such decision that can jeopardize aid programs to Kyrgyzstan, including on fighting extremism, facilitating economic growth and creating new jobs, enhancing education and supporting democratic development.

The cooperation agreement allows US to export products for fulfilling Washington’s programs to Kyrgyzstan customs-free. The documents provides people responsible for the implementation of these programs with diplomatic immunity.

On July 17, Kyrgyzstan’s government said it plans to denounce the cooperation agreement signed between Bishkek and Washington in 1993 after US State Department’s decision to hand its Human Rights Defenders Award to Kyrgyz national Azimzhan Askarov. In Kyrgyzstan, Askarov was sentenced to life imprisonment for inciting inter-ethnic discord, organizing mass riots and complicity in killing a police officer during mass protests.

In June 2010, clashes between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks took place in southern Kyrgyzstan. Nearly 500 people died and 2,000 were injured. The clashes followed the revolution and change of power in April 2010.

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