President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov gathered all the former presidents of the country at one negotiating table. As the head of state said on his Facebook page on February 18, the purpose of the meeting was to unite the Kyrgyz people and overcome internal contradictions that hinder the development of the country.
Zhaparov's press secretary Erbol Sultanbaev specified that ex-presidents Askar Akaev, Kurmanbek Bakiev, Roza Otunbayeva, Almazbek Atambaev and Sooronbai Jeenbekov were among those present. “For obvious reasons, a neutral territory was designated as a place,” the spokesman added. The Insider's sources in Bishkek report that the meeting was held in Dubai (UAE).
“What is the current state of the ancient Kyrgyz, who created great powers on the territory of Eurasia? Because of the lack of unity, because of the struggle for power, we seem to be losing our ancient empire and remain in a corner of Central Asia. What hinders our development, even though we have declared our independence? <...> Now we have a division into north and south, into seven regions, each of which takes care of itself. Unfortunately, now the population of Kyrgyzstan is divided into supporters of this or that president,” Zhaparov wrote.
“Former presidents have voiced their grievances and acknowledged their shortcomings. Most importantly, they were able to forgive each other. This was my goal. In my thoughts, it was only that the supporters of each president, residents of seven regions, focus on one direction, leaving politics, thinking about the development of the nation, the economy, ”added the current president.
The first president of independent Kyrgyzstan was Askar Akaev (1991-2005). He fled the country after the revolution and settled in Moscow. Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who replaced him, stayed in power for five years, and after the 2010 revolution he also fled the country and lives in Minsk. Roza Otunbayeva was president of the transitional period, which lasted a year and a half. Almazbek Atambaev (2011-2017) was charged with multiple crimes and sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2020. In February 2022, the court overturned the sentence passed on the ex-president, after which he was allowed to leave the country for treatment. Sooronbai Jeenbekov left office early after mass protests in 2020.