The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic regrets the unexpected and hastily adopted resolution of the European Parliament named “Crackdown on the media and freedom of expression in Kyrgyzstan”, which reflects a perception of the situation in the country that does not correspond to reality.

It is regrettable that in preparing this resolution, the initiators of the document did not request clarifications or additional information from the Kyrgyz side.

Biased, based on one-sided assessment and superficial resolution is considered as pressure on the country and the measures taken by the Kyrgyz Republic to maintain democracy and the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens, taking into account national traditions and foundations.

The authors of the resolution, perhaps intentionally, did not take into account that the situation with «Azattyk Media» was already resolved in the court, and the fact that the listed draft laws are only at the stage of discussion, including with the participation of a wide range of representatives of civil society. There are also a number of other bewildering points in the resolution, as they do not reflect an objective assessment and approaches to resolving them in accordance with national legislation, including those providing the independence of the branches of government of the Kyrgyz Republic.

The Kyrgyz Republic values the high level of cooperation and interaction with the European Union. We intend to continue to take measures to maintain this positive dynamic and, despite such unilateral and one-sided decisions that do not take into account the views of a partner, to refrain from such practices, which could harm and negatively affect the cooperation.

Permanent cooperation mechanisms have been established between the Kyrgyz Republic and the European Union, including inter-parliamentary committees and human rights dialogues. Those meetings were held on a regular basis and transparent manner.

In the near future, a delegation from the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs is scheduled to visit Kyrgyzstan, as well as the next meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee is planned, during which we expect to receive answers to these questions, including on the EU's best practices in combating hate speech, fake information and war propaganda, content control, etc.

Freedom of speech and the protection of human rights are among the top priorities of the Kyrgyz Republic. As an active participant of the international community and a member of the UN Human Rights Council, Kyrgyzstan is consistently working to strengthen democracy, human rights, rule of law and continues to fulfill its international obligations.