Russian diplomats react to a new law on language in Kyrgyzstan, bringing back colonial past
globalvoices.org
The Kyrgyz language is an integral part of national identity. It is vital for the survival of Kyrgyz people as a separate ethnic group and Kyrgyzstan as a nation.

The Soviet language policies undermined the development and prestige of Kyrgyz by turning it a “low” language used mainly at domestic and folklore purposes. For science, art, governance, and literature, the local elites used the “high” Russian language. Since independence, the former member state of the Soviet Union adopted three national programs for developing Kyrgyz.