President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov signed the Constitutional Law «On the State Language of the Kyrgyz Republic», which is of great importance for the language policy in the Republic. In accordance with the law, the Kyrgyz language is officially recognised as the state language, while the Russian language remains to be used as an official language, the press office of the President of Kyrgyzstan reported.
The new law applies to citizens of Kyrgyzstan and foreign nationals residing in the country. It sets forth the legal framework for the use of the Kyrgyz language and the implementation of the effective language policy at the state level.
The document identifies the areas in which the state language is mandatory. This applies to both public authorities and private entities. A detailed list can be found on the official website of the President. The law identifies a group of individuals who are required to know the Kyrgyz language and use it in their work. These are civil servants, security officials, judges, military servants, parliamentarians, heads of universities, etc.
The law also provides that the names of joint and foreign organisations must be transliterated into the Kyrgyz language. Television and radio companies, including private ones, are required to broadcast at least 60 percent in the state language.
