On May 26 the parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic reached the rapid and nearly unanimous decision to make the Russian language one of two official languages of the country. On May 29, President Askar Akaev signed legislation into law. The move was primarily an attempt to stem the increasing out-migration of Kyrgyzstan’s Russian-speaking population to Russia. In January 2000, a total of 3,547 Russian-speaking citizens (948 families) of Kyrgyzstan turned in their documents and migrated to Russia. In February, the total swelled to 4,318 (1,612 families), and in March, the total grew to 5,411 (1,963 families). A sociological survey to identify the reasons for the increased migration has been undertaken. According to the results of the survey, economic reasons such as unemployment and low wages are the main reasons cited by Russian speakers for leaving Kyrgyzstan. Secondary reasons include, the uncertainty about their children’s future and the Russian language’s formerly unrecognized status as a national language. Remarkably, last year Batken’s terrorist conflict stands only fifth place in the survey. Russians, therefore, do not cite instability as a primary motivation for migration.

The survey did not touch on sensitive issues concerning the relations between Kyrgyz and Russians in the republic. Thus, it cannot provide the real picture of the Russian’s situation. It is a well-known fact that almost none of the Russian-speakers work in top positions in various government ministries. Those who work there are, in general, representatives of the old communist party bureaucracy. In fact, there is no new stream of young Russian-speakers on the top rungs of the bureaucratic ladder. The absence of possibility for true career advancement and involvement in creative work for even those Russian-speakers with university educations is also a strong reason accelerating migration.

The migration by Russian-speakers from Kyrgyzstan to seek refuge in Russia is not a mad scramble to flee the country. The migration process follows a orderly process through the Representative of Federal Migration Service under the Russian Embassy in Kyrgyzstan which had operated in Bishkek since February 1998. The Kyrgyz government provides its citizens with an opportunity to maintain Kyrgyz citizenship in case if they might want come back. Despite the promises of representatives from the Federal Migration Service that Kyrgyzstan is one of the most advanced countries in terms of catering to the needs of Russian speakers, the number of people leaving Kyrgyzstan increases every year.

The government of the Kyrgyz Republic is taking several measures to stabilize the economy and decrease the number of non-Kyrgyz leaving the country. The new law making the Russian language an official language is an enormous step toward this goal. The Russian language will be under the protection of the government of the Kyrgyz Republic while the Kyrgyz language remains the language of state. Citizens of the Kyrgyz republic have a right to appeal to different government institutions using the Russian language. Governmental laws, acts, projects, Parliament meetings, jurisdiction acts, etc. will all be held and published in both Kyrgyz and Russian. In all different kinds of educational institutions, the Kyrgyz language remains the required language of instruction and those who violate this law will be liable according to the legislation of Kyrgyz Republic. The President and Parliament believe that the new Russian language law will bring confidence to the Russian-speaking population and will stop increased migration from Kyrgyzstan.

Maria Utyaganova, student in the International Relations Department, American University in Kyrgyzstan.