MINELRES: RFE/RL on ethnic Russians in Central Asia

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: RFE/RL <listmanager@list.rferl.org>


RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 7, No. 168, Part I, 4 September 2003

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ETHNIC RUSSIAN LEADER SAYS KYRGYZ INDEPENDENCE DAY IS NO HOLIDAY FOR
RUSSIANS. Valerii Uleev, leader of the Slavic Diaspora Society of ethnic
Russians in Kyrgyzstan's Djalal-Abad Oblast, told the Djalal-Abad city
council during preparations for celebrations of the country's
Independence Day that Kyrgyz Independence Day is not a holiday for
Kyrgyzstan's Russian population, akipress.org reported on 2 September.
City council member Umsunay Kadyrkulova told akipress that Uleev refused
an invitation to his society to join the oblast's other ethnic groups in
presenting their traditional culture during the festivities. He also
refused to give an interview to the local newspaper "Ferghana." Uleev is
known for his strongly nationalistic views and his regret over the loss
of Russian primacy with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, but this
appears to be the first time he has been so publicly antagonistic about
Kyrgyzstan's independence. BB

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RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY CRITICIZES TURKMENISTAN FOR HINDERING ETHNIC
RUSSIAN CONTACTS WITH RUSSIA. Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister
Yelenora Mitrofanova criticized Turkmen authorities for its negative
attitude toward contacts between Turkmenistan's ethnic Russians and
Russia, Interfax reported on 3 September, quoting Mitrofanova's
interview in that day's issue of "Rossiiskaya gazeta." Mitrofanova said
that ethnic Russians reportedly were prevented by the Turkmen
authorities from attending a meeting of Russians living in Central Asia.
According to Mitrofanova, would-be participants in the meeting were
intimidated by various threats, including the loss of their jobs. She
also reiterated the official Russian position that Turkmenistan's
revocation of dual Russian-Turkmen citizenship is illegal because the
Russian side has not ratified the agreement on revocation signed by the
presidents of the two countries in April. A joint Russian-Turkmen
commission is due to meet in September for the second time to try to
resolve the dual-citizenship dispute. BB

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