Friday, August 10, 2012 -
Kyrgyz Prime Minister Omurbek Babanov visited the northern region of Issyk-Kul on Friday to oversee business developments in the province usually associated with tourism.
He vowed that closed plants in the province will be relaunched.
“Of the 18 idle plants in the Issyk-Kul, in the current year will be launched eight companies through the funding of the regional government,” the KyrTAG news agency reported the premier as saying in the provincial town of Balykchy, where he was visiting a clay plant currently not in operation.
“For example, 5 million soms [$106,256] will be allocated to purchase equipment for the expanded clay plant in Balykchy, for the purchase of equipment for coal mines,” Babanov said.
Issyk-Kul leaders have been zeroing in on reclaiming their tourism visit, hit badly after ethnic riots in 2010 destabilized the country and caused 400,000 to flee the country.
Kyrgyzstan, like Central Asia’s other impoverished state Tajikistan, has difficulty in keeping industry open due to the cost of maintaining equipment and obtaining raw materials.
Its industrial sector has been atrophied since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
During Babanov’s official visit, he also was brought up-to-date with the construction of a local kindergarten.