![Russia’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Gregory Karassin. © RIA Novosti](/userdata/news_en/2013/news_20254/thumb_b/photo_29620.jpg)
Russia’s Foreign Ministry experts believe that development of national languages in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan is not to the detriment to Russian language, Iterfax Kazakhstan reported June 14. “20 years after gaining independence from the Russian-speaking USSR, many of the ex-Soviet republics are taking efforts to strengthen their national languages; oftentimes these measures are strongly felt; Russia has been paying special attention to language-related issues as post-Soviet states are still home to millions of ethnic Russians”, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Gregory Karassin said when unveiling a document before the Russian Duma as part of a plan to amend the Agreement on Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between Kazakhstan and Russia. He elaborated that Kyrgyzstan had tried to adopt a law declaring Kyrgyz language as the official language, with Russian language being heavily limited. However, the draft law wasn’t approved of by the country’s President. “Russian language is actually a second state language in Kyrgyzstan, with most of documents and correspondence being in Russian (…) a similar situation has been seen in Kazakhstan. There are some issues, but they are being addressed within the framework of allied relations between Kazakhstan and Russia (…) the Russian side is keeping a close eye on the situation”.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry experts believe that development of national languages in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan is not to the detriment to Russian language, Iterfax Kazakhstan reported June 14.
“20 years after gaining independence from the Russian-speaking USSR, many of the ex-Soviet republics are taking efforts to strengthen their national languages; oftentimes these measures are strongly felt; Russia has been paying special attention to language-related issues as post-Soviet states are still home to millions of ethnic Russians”, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Gregory Karassin said when unveiling a document before the Russian Duma as part of a plan to amend the Agreement on Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between Kazakhstan and Russia.
He elaborated that Kyrgyzstan had tried to adopt a law declaring Kyrgyz language as the official language, with Russian language being heavily limited. However, the draft law wasn’t approved of by the country’s President. “Russian language is actually a second state language in Kyrgyzstan, with most of documents and correspondence being in Russian (…) a similar situation has been seen in Kazakhstan. There are some issues, but they are being addressed within the framework of allied relations between Kazakhstan and Russia (…) the Russian side is keeping a close eye on the situation”.