Published
05/23/2025, 12:55Deputy of the Jogorku Kenesh Dastan Bekeshev commented on the recent decree of the President of Kyrgyzstan on the legalisation of foreign citizens on his Telegram channel, calling it an important and timely step.
"Previously, punitive measures were mainly used – fines and deportation. Now there is a chance for legalisation – some will be able to stay, some will leave, but it will be according to the law,‘ Bekeshev noted.
At the same time, the deputy drew attention to the problem faced by ethnic Kyrgyz who, on formal grounds, find themselves ’foreigners" in their own country.
These are people who lived abroad and then returned to Kyrgyzstan but were unable to obtain citizenship, including children from mixed marriages. He told the story of a Kyrgyz woman who has four children with a Turkish citizen. Two of them stayed with their father, and two remained in Kyrgyzstan.
Despite the fact that their mother is a citizen of the Kyrgyz Republic, in 2023, the children in the country were fined for ‘illegal residence.’ Moreover, the woman was asked for a bribe to process the documents.
‘We have laws that allow for the simplified recognition of such children as citizens. But the problem is that after the reforms, experienced employees left the public service centres, and now there are just GP KYZMAT, where they can't even give proper advice,’ the deputy said indignantly.
He expressed hope that the decree on legalisation would also help ethnic Kyrgyz people who find themselves in a similar situation. ‘
Our own Kyrgyz people, even if they are formally considered foreigners, should be able to obtain citizenship of their country. Not just businesspeople and those with second passports,’ Bekeshev concluded, calling on the cabinet to pay attention to such cases.
