Could Kyrgyz Republic Soon Become First Central Asian State Not Calling Itself ‘a Stan’?

Paul Goble

            Staunton, June 25 – Kyrgyz became to call their republic Kyrgyzstan already in the 1930s to signal their close relations with the neighboring republics of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. But since 1991, various activists have called for insisting on a name for that country that doesn’t include that syllable.

            On the one hand, this reflects a desire of the Kyrgyz to stand out and signal to themselves and others their distinctiveness; but on the other, it certainly a the way also is a response to the way ome officials and analysts beyond the borders of the former Soviet space often refer dismissively to “the stans” when they talk about the region.

            The Kyrgyz were not the first Central Asians to try to drop the syllable “stan” from the names of their countries. Former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev pushed hard for doing in the 2010s, and the Kyrgyz followed course, although at the time neither made the change (windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2019/01/push-to-rename-kazakhstan-kazakh.html, windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2014/02/window-on-eurasia-could-kazakhstan.html and windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2014/09/window-on-eurasia-might-another-stan.html).

            Now, however, there seems to be more support within the Kyrgyz elite for making a change. Toktogul Kakchekeyev, a leader of Kyrgyz veterans organizations, is one of those who think that changing the current name might be a good idea (asia24.media/comments/v-konstitutsii-net-slova-stan-tam-chetko-napisano-kyrgyzskaya-respublika-kyrgyzstan-eto-sokrashchenn/).

            He points that the country’s constitution “doesn’t contain the syllable ‘stan.’ Instead, it clearly says that the name of the country is the Kyrgyz Republic. But,” he acknowledges, “there is a note that the country can be called Kyrgyzstan for shot.” That abbreviation could be “abolished” and no other changes are needed.

            Kakchekeyev points out that the problem doesn’t exist in Russia or for Russian speakers who still refer to the country as Kirgizia; and presumably they will continue to do so whatever Bishkek does even if it takes more radical steps and decides to name the country  the Republic of the Kyrgyz People (“Respublika Kirgyz El”) or the Republic of the Land of the Kyrgyz (‘Respublika Kyrgyz Zher”).

            Whether any steps are taken now to rename the Kyrgyz Republic, the fact that such discussions are going on should be a warning to those in the West who constantly lump the Central Asian countries together as “the stans” that doing so is insulting and that at least some in the region are still searching for ways out.