Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, responding to the letter of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, asked not to interfere in the internal affairs of the republic, the national portal "Adyrna" reported.
Sadyr Zhaparov's press secretary Askat Alagozov announced this on his Facebook page.
On February 9, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the republic sent a reply to the US ambassador. In his letter, Blinken expressed concern about the draft law to amend the Law on Non-Profit Organizations, which, if passed, risks significantly limiting the ability of civil society organizations to operate freely and effectively, according to human rights activists.
Japarov "regretfully" noted that the content of Blinken's letter contains signs of interference in the internal affairs of Kyrgyzstan.
He explained that the purpose of the draft law is to clarify and regulate the activities of non-governmental/non-profit organizations operating in the Republic. Today, tens of thousands of NGOs work in Kyrgyzstan, which are engaged in "solving many problems that the state did not have the will or intention to do anything about before."
In addition, some NGOs receive funding not only from the USA and EU countries, but also from abroad. The Kyrgyz authorities intend to control where the money comes to these organizations, who, how and for what purposes it is used, explained Japarov.
According to him, the concept of the bill is close to the concept of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which has been in use in the United States since 1938.
"Therefore, the question cannot arise: why you can do it, but we can't?" - writes Japarov.
The President noted that the government's requirements for NGOs are "understandable and supported by society, and fully comply with the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic and our international obligations."
President Japarov also invited the US Secretary of State to Kyrgyzstan to see that human rights and freedoms in this country are reliably protected by the Constitution and laws.
