Kyrgyz leader Roza Otunbayeva led anti-government protests that raged in the capital for a week and which eventually resulted in the demise of the former Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s Western-backed government on April 7.
A total of $21 million in aid was pledged, of which the remaining $11 million will be used to fund the construction of residences through the Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA) in the southern city of Osh. Turkish Red Crescent Society (Kızılay) will also donate an additional $5 million.
At least 180 people were killed and about 2,000 were wounded in ethnic clashes between Uzbek and Kyrgyz people in the Osh and Jalal-Abad provinces in June.
Akil also presented a special present from President Abdullah Gül to Otunbayeva as a birthday gift.
Speaking to reporters following an hour-and-a-half-long closed-doors meeting, Akil said TİKA and Kızılay will continue to send aid to the region. Akil also said they will organize a conference to bring together Uzbek and Kyrgyz authorities together to explore a lasting reconciliation between the two communities. The diplomat said they will work together with Kyrgyz authorities to contribute to Kyrgyzstan’s stability following the parliamentary election planned for Oct. 10.
Meanwhile, Akil also announced that Turkish police will be dispatched to the region within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) framework. He said most of the police force will comprise Turkish police officers as they are familiar with the culture and language of the region. The delegation was in Osh and Jalal-abad on Tuesday before they headed to Bishkek on Wednesday to meet with Otunbayeva.
