Kyrgyzstan backs new flag, says 'smiling' sun to aid growth / Photo: © AFP/File
-
India seeks threefold increase in coal stocks to prevent summer power shortages
-
Indian companies report mixed second-quarter results on November 4
-
Adobe PDF Spaces Introduces Shared AI Conversations for Document Collaboration
-
Indus Towers expands solar-powered network to 50,000 telecom sites
-
KKR secures Indian regulator approval for Gentari Renewables investment
-
Equitas Small Finance Bank rebounds after naming interim chief executive
-
Bharti Airtel revenue expected to grow at double-digit pace in second quarter
-
Titan quarterly profit seen rising as jewellery business drives growth
-
Italy Claims Curling Silver at European Championships in Ostrava
-
Indian crude-sensitive shares gain after 13% oil-price decline
-
Kuwait finance minister holds economic cooperation talks at COMCEC
-
Stocks and dollar fall as Democratic election gains reshape markets
-
Abdul El-Sayed declares victory in Michigan Senate contest
-
Kuwait marks key events and anniversaries from national history
-
Democrats capture US Congress in sweeping midterm victory
-
Trump congratulates Democrats and signals willingness to cooperate
-
Manchester United rallies past Roma as PSG dominates in Champions League
-
Qatar prime minister advances mediation through diplomatic calls
-
Qatar sees tentative opening for renewed regional diplomacy
-
Greenland parliament approves security agreement with United States
-
Qatar Tourism joins Pacific Asia Travel Association at London travel market
-
Qatar envoy meets incoming UN General Assembly president
-
Abdul El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Seat in Historic Election
-
Trump Signals Willingness to Work With Democrats After Midterm Defeat
-
Qatar media bodies discuss support for humanitarian initiatives
-
Pitches and Keynote Speakers Are Confirmed for Blue Magic Netherlands on November 17
Kyrgyzstan backs new flag, says 'smiling' sun to aid growth
Lawmakers in tightly-controlled Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday backed a proposal to modify the country's flag so that it will feature sun rays, arguing the move would boost the economy.
The poor, landlocked republic of 6.7 million people in Central Asia has been dogged by political volatility for much of the three decades since it became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Kyrgyzstan's flag, adopted in 1992 after the Soviet collapse, currently features a yellow orb -- representing a traditional nomadic yurt -- against a red background, surrounded by lines emanating from the centre.
In November, parliament speaker Nurlanbek Shakiev put forward a bill to change the emblem in order to make those lines "clearly reminiscent of sun rays".
Supporters of the change, including President Sadyr Japarov, argued that the current design too closely resembled a sunflower, and that this had kept Kyrgyzstan from fulfilling its potential as a "developed and independent" state.
"There was a public opinion that our flag resembled a sunflower, and in this context the country could not get up from its knees," Japarov said in October.
"There were even cases of foreigners coming to visit us, saying that probably sunflowers grew in large quantities in our republic," he added.
"From now on it will be as if the sun is shining and smiling at us," he said in October, speaking in favour of the changes.
Fifty-nine lawmakers in parliament on Wednesday approved the alterations with only five voting against.
Japarov has been in power since 2021, when he was sprung free from prison by supporters and quickly moved to consolidate power.
Dozens of people opposed the change to the flag and demonstrated against the move in the capital Bishkek earlier this month.
Kyrgyzstan has vast natural resources but, like several Central Asian nations, many of its citizens depend on remittances from migrants working abroad.
The World Bank says Kyrgyzstan needs to implement reforms on "private sector development and job creation, spur international trade, and encourage fiscally sustainable energy production" to achieve strong economic growth.
L.Dubois--BTB
