The President of Kyrgyzstan announced through his social media page that all the previous presidents of Kyrgyzstan got together and talked face to face. According to other sources, the meeting took place in Dubai. Zhaparov expressed "gratitude" to all five former presidents of Kyrgyzstan and said that at the meeting, claims were made against each other, but later everyone forgave each other. Zhaparov announced that he decided to hold such a meeting in order to preserve the unity of the people of Kyrgyzstan and develop the country along a sustainable path.
In addition to Zhaparov, Askar Akaev (presidential term 1990-2005), who lives now in Moscow, Kurmanbek Bakiyev (2005-2010), now lives in Minsk, Roza Otunbayeva (2010-2011), who is the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Afghanistan, Almazbek Atambaev (2012-2017), a few days before the meeting in Dubai, was released from the colony, Sooronbai Jeenbekov (2017-2020), lives in Bishkek took part in the meeting.
Two former presidents, Almazbek Atambaev and Askar Akaev, have already publicly expressed their attitude at the meeting.
Atambayev, following the meeting, said that he was not aware of the meeting with other former presidents, that he went to meet with President Sadyr Japarov and the head of the State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan Kamchibek Tashiev, because he was grateful to them for understanding his situation and therefore went to meet with them. However, he clearly explained his attitude to the meeting and made it clear that allowing Bakiyev to return to Kyrgyzstan and establishing the unity of the people and stability in the country are two different things. At the same time, he said that President Zhaparov would understand him correctly.
Another former president, Askar Akaev, announced in the press shortly after the meeting that he supported President ``Zhaparov's initiative to unite the people of Kyrgyzstan. He called on everyone to unite around the current president in the name of the stable development of the country.
Other participants of the meeting in Dubai have not yet commented on its outcome.
However, in social networks, the opinion of users was divided. Some of them openly write that the current government organized this meeting in order to open the way for Bakiyev's return and are ready to prevent this. The other part supports this initiative of the authorities and expresses hope for strengthening the unity of the people.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
February 20, 2023