Published
11/14/2025, 12:54In an interview with Kabar News Agency, President Sadyr Zhaparov sharply commented on former President Almazbek Atambayev's statement regarding the situation in the energy sector. Zhaparov said that he had not read the text of the statement and only learned about it from the press secretary, but decided to respond to the accusations.
According to Atambayev, the current energy crisis in Kyrgyzstan is allegedly linked to the uncontrolled operation of mining farms. The Minister of Energy has already called these statements manipulative. However, the head of state has now outlined his position in detail for the first time, backing it up with figures.
‘This is not knee-deep or neck-deep — the system has been drowned to the brim. In fact, the energy sector has been brought to bankruptcy,’ Zhaparov said.
He also recalled that between 2010 and 2020, the government took out interest-bearing loans from RSK Bank (now Eldik Bank) solely to pay the salaries of energy workers — a total of 201 million KGS.
‘Even the most backward state would not allow such a practice,’ the president noted.
The situation began to change after 2021. Zhaparov emphasised that during his entire presidency, the state did not take out a single loan to pay salaries to energy workers. On the contrary, large-scale work was begun to reduce the accumulated debts.
From 2021 to the present, the state has repaid 112 billion KGS of the 137 billion inherited. The remaining 25 billion KGS are planned to be repaid in 2026.
According to the president, this was made possible by eradicating corruption and eliminating the ‘theft schemes’ that had previously flourished.
‘There are no schemes, so the debts are rapidly decreasing,’ he emphasised.
The president expressed confidence that Kyrgyzstan's energy system will turn a profit for the first time in 2027.
