Kyrgyz Prime Minister Adylbek Kasymaliev has called for the dismissal of two deputy ministers for taking unauthorized foreign trips. He also demanded that the minister of education explain why her trips to Austria and the U.K. yielded no results.
According to 24.kg, during a meeting with the presidential administration, Kasymaliev instructed the cabinet to fire Almaz Sokeev, deputy minister of agriculture, and Rasul Abazbek uulu, deputy minister of education for their unauthorized foreign travel.
Severe reprimands were also issued to Samat Nasirdinov, deputy minister of agriculture, who spent 81 days in Japan, and Asel Raimkulova, deputy minister of natural resources, for unauthorized trips to Turkey and Canada.
Minister of Education Dogdurkul Kendirbaeva is expected to explain why she spent 32 business days on foreign travel.
According to the presidential administration, Kendirbaeva visited ten countries. For instance, she spent eight days in Austria, citing goals such as digitizing education and establishing a Kyrgyz-Chinese university but failed to achieve any tangible results. Her other trip to the U.K. was aimed at raising $400,000 for textbooks and additional financial support for the ministry but was also unsuccessful.
In 2024, Kyrgyzstan implemented a system to regulate foreign trips by officials. Under the new rules, public servants must obtain prior approval from the presidential administration before traveling and submit a detailed report upon their return.
