On March 17, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov addressed the people of Kyrgyzstan on the Day of Remembrance for Aksy Events. He noted that the Aksy events had changed the course of history, left an indelible mark on the memory of the people and opened a new page in the modern history of Kyrgyzstan, the press office of the President of Kyrgyzstan reports.
In his address, Japarov noted that the Aksy events stand among the first political events in the modern history of Kyrgyzstan which have determined the future of the Republic. They changed the public consciousness in the political development of Kyrgyzstan and led to the political transformation of the country, in general, they were a step in a different direction.
The Kyrgyz leader expressed hope that from now on the world will have only a positive opinion about Kyrgyzstan. Today, Kyrgyzstan is a peace-loving state, demonstrating unity in difficult times, striving for further development.
On March 17, 2002, troops opened fire on the protesters in Aksy district of Jalal-Abad Region that killed six people. The protesters demanded not to give a section of the Uzengu-Kuush River Basin to China.