Kyrgyz president links double-digit growth to crackdown on crime, corruption

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has linked the country’s recent economic performance to a crackdown on organized crime and sustained efforts to combat corruption, while firmly rejecting allegations that Kyrgyzstan has benefited from sanctions evasion involving trade with Russia.

Japarov made the remarks during his working visit to the United States, where he received an award from the US-Kyrgyzstan Business Council recognizing Kyrgyzstan’s achievements in economic development.

Reflecting on the country’s turbulent political trajectory since independence, Japarov noted that Kyrgyzstan, with a population of approximately 7 million, had undergone three revolutions over the past 35 years.

“After the last revolution, I was elected president, and I understood that if I could not change the situation, our citizens would no longer trust anyone. Until 2020, crime was rampant in the country. Criminal groups were not simply operating independently; they had become embedded in the state system and reached the highest levels of government. We eliminated organized criminal groups within a day and put them in prison,” he said.

Japarov argued that dismantling criminal networks and reducing corruption had enabled funds that previously flowed to criminal groups and corrupt officials to be redirected into the state budget.

“Previously, money went to criminals and corrupt officials, whereas now it goes into the state budget. Over the past four years, growth has been at least 10 percent, and this year it is 11.1 percent. We plan to maintain this pace for the next 15 years,” the president said.

He acknowledged, however, that corruption remained a more persistent challenge than organized crime and had not been completely eradicated.

“Fighting crime was not difficult — we did it in one day. Fighting corruption has proved more difficult, and we have not completely eliminated it yet. Yes, there is significantly less of it, and if you come to Kyrgyzstan today to work in any sector, you will see a completely different country. If you pay taxes and conduct your business honestly, you can build a successful business,” Japarov said.

The Kyrgyz president also addressed international concerns over sanctions circumvention. Referring to an article in The New York Times about Kyrgyzstan’s economy, he rejected the suggestion that the country’s growth was being driven by the re-export of Chinese or European goods to Russia amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“This is not true. Kyrgyzstan supplied goods to Russia before as well, but not military products. Not a single product subject to sanctions has been sent to Russia by us, either on paper or in practice. We respect the sanctions and we respect the rules of the United Nations,” Japarov stressed.

Summing up his approach to economic development, Japarov said any country seeking sustainable growth must adhere to three fundamental principles: eliminating organized crime, combating corruption, and ensuring that the president neither engages in corruption himself nor allows other officials to do so.

By Vafa Guliyeva