Japarov denies asking Ablyazov for money

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov denied asking Kazakh opposition politician Mukhtar Ablyazov for money during the October 2020 upheaval. In an interview with SUPER.KG, he acknowledged a phone conversation but disputed Ablyazov's account.

Japarov said Ablyazov had asked for help organising a revolution in Kazakhstan and offered to fly to Bishkek. The president said he refused because he would not interfere in a neighbouring country's domestic politics or damage relations with Kazakhstan.

He also rejected Ablyazov's claim to have known him for a long time. In Japarov's account, Melis Aspekov, who was nearby, handed him the telephone.

The interview responded to a video circulating on social media in which Ablyazov described knowing Japarov and having a lengthy conversation with him, while criticising the Kyrgyz authorities.