Kyrgyz leader says Putin helping democratic process in CIS

Interfax news agency
8 May 05

Moscow, 8 May: Acting Kyrgyz President [and Prime Minister] Kurmanbek
Bakiyev is in favour of further developing the CIS. He said this at a
news conference at the Interfax news agency’s central office on Sunday
[8 May].

“Kyrgyzstan has always been one of those states which contributed to
the development of the CIS.”

Bakiyev spoke in favour of the preservation and further development of
not only the CIS but also other integral unions and structures. Among
them he specifically mentioned the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
[SCO; members are China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan, Russia], the Collective Security Treaty Organization
[CSTO; members are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan and Russia] and the Eurasian Economic Community [EAEC;
members are Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan –
the former Customs Union].

Bakiyev is confident that the CIS has no other option but
democratization under conditions in which the entire world is
developing along the path of democracy.

“It will take us not 100 or 200 years like other countries but
literally 10-15 years and you will not recognize the CIS. There will
be so much democracy here!” Bakiyev said.

He added that the Russian leadership represented by President Vladimir
Putin is contributing a lot to the development of democracy.