Azerbaijan, Baku, July 4 / Trend V. Zhavoronkova /
The hostility demonstrated toward other nationalities in Kyrgyzstan primarily points to a common effect of some discontent and tensions in society, a member of Trend Expert Council Alexei Vlasov said.
"This discontent is expressed in the form of ethnic distrust. The calmer the situation, the less xenophobia, nationalism," the deputy dean of the History Department at Moscow State University and the chief editor of the Vestnik Kavkaza Vlasov said.
A scandalous incident involving a foreigner occurred in the shop "Beta Stores" in Bishkek. Gunes Yılmaz, who worked a technologist there, beat a saleswoman, a citizen of Kyrgyzstan Cholpon Oruzbayeva. Later, the victim told that the the Turk expressed obscene proposal. That day, he shouted at the shop assistant because she refused from selling expired goods. Then he severely beat her.
The injured person was hospitalized with internal injuries and internal bleeding. The abuser was arrested but soon released under house arrest. His location is unknown. Yilmaz is wanted. Turkish Beta Insaat Yatyrymchylyk firm leadership sent an official letter addressed to the Kyrgyz leadership. It complains about the pressure from certain youth groups.
The activists of several youth organizations demanded that the company owning "Beta Stores" to pay the compensation for the injured person. Moreover, they called to close stores of the network until Yilmaz is detained again. A protest action was held near one of Beta Stores. The participants voiced nationalist slogans and tried to break into the building.
Vlasov said that the demonstrations in Bishkek had the character of requirements for the authorities to limit the arbitrariness of Turkish business and individual Turkish businessmen. "At the same time, the Turkish Foreign Ministry advises entrepreneurs who are working not only in Kyrgyzstan but also in other Central Asian countries, to behave properly and decently in terms of meeting its commitments to business partners, and in terms of public behavior to avoid incidents such as beating a woman in Bishkek's supermarket," he said.
There is another issue that the aggressive style of Turkish business in Kyrgyzstan annoys many people. "This is typical not only for Kyrgyzstan. When the financial amount is not large, the government will be pleased to any money that is invested in the country. There is no way to selectively apply to investors.
Perhaps, when the situation in the country becomes more stable and the economic situation improves, lobbying the interests of Turkish business by Kyrgyz officials will unlikely to have the acute form. At present, the Turkish business, as Russian, is conducted according to the ideas. But the time will come when it will be conducted according to the law, he added.
In general, the quieter the general situation in Kyrgyzstan, the less severe the political struggle. The situation in the field of interethnic relations is normalized.
Vlasov said that it is wrong to think that the Kyrgyz people treat other people with suspicion. "It is just an index of the current level of political culture, an intense emotional state, rather than the natural features of the Kyrgyz people," he said. "The Kyrgyz people are tolerant and peaceful people, like other Central Asian peoples. But the circumstances and the course of political developments lead to a surge of emotions."