The former head of the State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan, Kamchibek Tashiev, will not return to his civil service position. President Sadyr Japarov made a clear statement about this in an interview with the local national news agency "Khabar".
In the interview, the journalist recalled that there are calls among the public from activists, some politicians and elders that "the Japarov-Tashiev tandem should be restored for the future of the country." He also recalled that the president himself had said in previous conversations that friendly relations with Tashiev could be maintained, and asked whether the position had changed.
Sadir Japarov made a clear distinction between two aspects in this matter: personal relations on one side, and public office on the other.
According to him, he still prefers to resolve controversial issues peacefully, without confrontation, and intends to remain friends with Tashiev. However, the president made it clear: Tashiev does not hold a public office.
Japarov said that he advised Tashiev to rest, take care of his health, and live a quiet life. At the same time, he noted that various so-called "aksakals" and "koksakals" were appearing around him, adding that it was necessary to stay away from them. According to the president, the investigative agencies will also find out everything and establish order.
"Of course, now he will not say thank you. He will be offended. But years later, he will say, 'My friend, you did the right thing then,' and express gratitude," Japarov said.
Japarov also announced that he had recently received Tashiev. According to him, Tashiev stated that he had not met with the elders who raised the issue of “early elections.” Based on this, the president concluded that some individuals could be acting on their own, secretly, according to a plan, without Tashiev himself knowing about it. “We will clean everything up and put it in order. Thank God, we have the strength to do this,” he said.
During the interview, the journalist raised another concern: after Tashiev’s departure, will the fight against organized crime and corruption weaken, will crime increase?
The president answered this question in a sharp, confident tone: there are no organized criminal groups in the country now, and there will never be any. He admitted that criminals are everywhere, that crime itself will not disappear completely in the world, but he said that there are no longer any groups that control the markets and even extort money from women, as before. He emphasized that all of them are either in prison or abroad.
According to Japarov, Kyrgyzstan should be viewed in terms of the period before 2020 and after 2020. He said that the government after 2020 will be one that does not collude with crime, and therefore organized crime will not be able to rise again.
As for corruption, the president said that this fight will never end. He noted that there is no country in the world that can say that it has completely eradicated corruption, and even in countries that are considered "low-corruption", this problem remains to a certain extent. Therefore, it is not correct to advertise that "corruption has been completely eradicated", he said. He noted that corruption has economic, political, nepotistic and other forms, and the government is constantly working to reduce its level.
According to the president, the fight against crime has yielded relatively quick results, but it is not easy to "completely defeat" corruption in a short time. Nevertheless, the goal is to reduce it as much as possible in the coming years.
Finally, Japarov also openly stated his instructions to law enforcement agencies: there is a "green light" in the fight against crime and corruption, but it is necessary to work calmly and professionally, without noisy "mask shows" and PR.
In short, the president's position is clear: friendship can be preserved, but there are no plans to return to public office. The main direction now is one - to systematically maintain order, prevent crime from returning, and gradually reduce corruption.
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