Turkey lends support to caretaker Kyrgyz government

Turkey has boldly displayed its support for Kyrgyzstan, which has endured political and ethnic violence since April, with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu being the sole foreign statesman present when Kyrgyzstan's provisional leader Roza Otunbayeva was sworn in as president on Saturday. Ahead of his attendance at the inauguration ceremony, Davutoglu held a bilateral meeting with Almazbek Atambayev, Kyrgyzstan's first deputy prime minister. Following their meeting, Davutoglu and Atambayev signed an agreement which outlined Turkey's donation of $21 million to the turbulent Central Asian nation's government. Of that, $11 million will be provided in cash, while $10 million was donated in kind for the reconstruction of homes destroyed in the violence in the south of the country last month through coordination of the Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA). Speaking at a joint press conference following their meeting, Davutoglu noted that Turkey had already sent nearly 63 tons of aid materials and an ambulance to the country since the beginning of the clashes in Kyrgyzstan in April. “We will work to help our Kyrgyz and Uzbek brothers in the provinces of Osh and Jalal-Abad get back their houses as soon as possible,” Davutoglu said, expressing Turkey's confidence that Kyrgyzstan would overcome these difficult times and regain its confidence and stability soon. “Turkey will make all the necessary contributions to help stability be established between brother states in Central Asia,” Davutoglu said.