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<\/p>\nThe leader of the Russian Liberal-Democrats has been declared persona non grata in Kyrgyzstan after claiming the Central Asian country\u2019s treasured alpine lake as repayment for Russia forgiving a $500 million national debt.<\/p>\n
The parliament of Kyrgyzstan has ruled in favor of banning the
\ncontroversial Vladimir Zhirinovsky from the country.<\/p>\n
The head of the Russian State Duma Committee on CIS affairs
\nLeonid Slutsky called on to the Kyrgyz deputies \u201cto be more
\nrestrained.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
However, Zhirinovsky himself considers the ruling of Kyrgyz
\nparliament an \u201cerror and delusion\u201d<\/i> and doubts that the
\nKyrgyz Foreign Ministry will \u201cpursue this path.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I was misunderstood. I made no official statement
\nwhatsoever. I just expressed a proposal on how to develop
\ncooperation between our countries so that Russia could continue to
\nhelp Kyrgyzstan with credits, and Kyrgyzstan in turn has means to
\nrepay the loans,\u201d<\/i> he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, I have not spoken in the literal sense that Lake
\nIssyk-Kul must become a gift [to Russia] – I suggested options.
\nMore specifically, we were talking about the possibility of leasing
\nthe lake for 49 years in order to develop tourism more
\nactively,\u201d<\/i> he added.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Zhirinovsky noted that he knows Kyrgyzstan very well, having
\nlived there, and has relatives there. The last time he visited
\nKyrgyzstan was seven years ago, he mentioned.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have only good feelings towards this country and its
\npeople,\u201d<\/i> Zhirinovsky insisted.<\/p>\n
The \u2018Issyk-Kul incident\u2019 emerged after Zhirinovsky commented on
\nRussia recently writing off the $500 million national debt of
\nKyrgyzstan. He said that in return for forgiving the debt, Russia
\nshould claim huge lake, believed to be Kyrgyzstan\u2019s main tourist
\nattraction.<\/p>\n
Vladimir Zhirinovsky has had a solid reputation as the enfant
\nterrible of Russian politics for nearly a quarter of a century now
\nand somehow managed to disentangle himself from countless
\nunpleasant situations, created mostly by his controversial
\nutterances. This time, though, his trip of the tongue has fallen on
\nthe wrong ears.<\/p>\n
Was it a traditional Zhirinovsky-style joke or not, the Kyrgyz
\nlawmakers gave the \u2018demand\u2019 some serious thought and decided to be
\noffended for real. The opposition immediately used the situation to
\nits profit, insisting the remark was a public offense to all Kyrgyz
\npeople and encroachment on Kyrgyzstan\u2019s sovereignty.<\/p>\n
The initiative to ban Zhirinovsky came from opposition
\nparliamentary fraction Ata-Zhurt. Its delegate Zhyldyzkan
\nDjoldoshova insists that after this controversial comment,
\nZhirinovsky \u201chas no moral right to come to Kyrgyzstan.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
The initiative found immediate support in the Kyrgyz parliament
\nand on May 15 Vladimir Zhirinovsky was proclaimed persona non
\ngrata, Interfax reports.<\/p>\n