Donors Pledge $1.1 Billion to Kyrgyzstan
VOA News
27 July 2010
International donors have pledged to supply Kyrgyzstan with $1.1 billion in aid to help the country recover from recent inter-ethnic violence.
Officials say donors attending a conference in Bishkek Tuesday agreed to give Kyrgyzstan the aid package over the next 30 months.
The country faces the cost of reconstruction following deadly clashes in southern Kyrgyzstan last month. Its economy also is expected to contract by more than five percent this year.
Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbayeva said $350 million is needed to repair housing and shops destroyed during fighting in the cities of Osh and Jalalabad. More money is needed for economic development.
Kyrgyzstan has been politically unstable since the overthrow of former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev in April.
The country voted for a new parliamentary system in a referendum last month, and national elections are scheduled for October.
The former Soviet republic houses U.S. and Russian military bases.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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