[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 23027-23028]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        RELATIONS WITH KYRGZSTAN

  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I make special note of the visit to the 
United States by the distinguished President of the Republic of 
Kyrgystan, Askar Akaev. President Akaev was in the our country for the 
opening of the session of the United Nations and also traveled to Utah 
to discuss the reforms taking place in his country and to talk about 
the efforts his nation is taking in the war on terrorism. Today we face 
a global war against terror, a war we cannot win

[[Page 23028]]

alone. It is in that spirit that we should recognize and support 
democracies worldwide, particularly those burgeoning democracies for 
which freedom is a new concept. The Republic of Kyrgyzstan, is just 
such an example.
  A small country of 5 million in Central Asia, the Kyrgyz Republic has 
been one of the most progressive countries in the region, especially 
amongst the countries which once made up the former Soviet Union. 
Plagued by an inflation rate of 88% in the year 1994, Kyrgyzstan under 
the leadership of President Akaev was successful in carrying out a 
number of market reforms, which allowed it to lower that inflation rate 
to 15 percent in just three years.
  President, Askar Akaev was first elected in October of 1990 and is 
internationally recognized for his promotion of science, human rights 
and democracy world wide. He has received many International Awards, 
including the Grand Cross of the Order of Liberty and Unity from the 
Association for Unity Latin America in 1995, the Prize of Javaharlal 
Neru's International Foundation for Unity also in 1995, the Prize of 
Crans Montana World Forum in 1996 and the North American-Kyrgyz 
Business Councils International Leadership Award in 1997. More 
recently, however, President Akaev's wife and first lady, Mairam Akaeva 
was awarded an honorary doctorate by Utah Valley State College during a 
trip to the United States late last month. She is also internationally 
known for her efforts with women and children, spreading the value of 
education, which is highly regarded in the Kyrgyz Republic, which 
enjoys a literacy rate of 98 percent.
  I thank President Akaev's commitment to the war on terrorism and 
express our gratitude for providing a military base for our troops in 
his country. There are a number of companies with operations in the 
region that have helped supply our troops with what they need to 
prevail.
  As we continue to search for allies in this critical region of the 
world, it is important to commend those who are trying and slowly 
succeeding with new found freedoms and economic opportunities.

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