Kyrgyz Lawmakers Reject Mining Deal
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 23 October 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kyrgyz Lawmakers Reject Mining Deal , 23 October 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/526fb9dd4.html [accessed 20 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
BISHKEK -- The Kyrgyz parliament has rejected a government-proposed deal with Canada's Centerra Gold company on operating Kyrgyzstan's largest gold mine, Kumtor.
The deal called for setting up a joint venture in which both Centerra and the Kyrgyz government would own 50 percent of shares. Under a 2009 deal, the Kyrgyz government stake was set at around 33 percent.
Parliament said on October 23 the government must agree on a new deal with Centerra by December 23 to raise Kyrgyz ownership to 67 percent. Centerra's director, Ian Atkinson, said his company would not agree to having less than a 50 percent share.
Meanwhile, on October 23, hundreds of local citizens again protested in northern Issyk-Kul Province, where Kumtor is located, demanding the mine's nationalization.
