Today (Tuesday) is the Independence Day of Kyrgyzstan.

Kyrgyzstan is a country in Central Asia. Landlocked and mountainous, it borders Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and the People's Republic of China to the Southeast. Bishkek is the capital and largest city.

The ethnonym “Kyrgz,” after which the country is named, is thought to mean “unconquerable” or “undefeatable,” referring to the epic hero Manas who, as legend has it, unified 40 tribes against the Khitans. The 40-ray sun on the flag of Kyrgyzstan symbolizes these 40 tribes of Manas.

The Kyrgyz, a Muslim people who speak a Turkic language that is also called Kyrgyz, constitute a majority of the population of Kyrgyzstan. Uzbeks and Russians form the largest ethnic minorities.

Kyrgyzstan became part of the Russian Empire in the late 1800s. In 1924, it became an autonomous region of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). In 1936, its status was upgraded to make it one of the 15 constituent republics of the USSR. Officially known as the Kirgiz Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR), it was also commonly known as Kirgizia. Kyrgyzstan became an independent nation in 1991. In 1993, it ratified its first post-Soviet constitution.

Agriculture is an important sector of the economy in the Kyrgyz Republic. By the early 1990s, the private agricultural sector provided between one-third and one-half of some harvests. The Kyrgyz Republic’s terrain is mountainous, which accommodates livestock raising, the largest agricultural activity, so the resulting wool, meat, and dairy products are major commodities. Main crops include wheat, sugar beets, potatoes, cotton, tobacco, vegetables, and fruit. As the prices of imported agrichemicals and petroleum are so high, much farming is being done by hand and by horse, as it was generations ago. Agricultural processing is a key component of the industrial economy, as well as one of the most attractive sectors for foreign investment.

We congratulate the people and government of Kyrgyzstan led by His Excellency, President Roza Otunbayeva, on the occasion of their Independence Day. We wish them all the best and success in all their endeavors.