In late August, the monument was removed from Bishkek's central square and transferred to the so-called Old Square, which is located in front of the Kyrgyz parliament. The mayor's office has named this square after Lenin.
About 1,000 participants attended the unveiling ceremony, mainly older people. They held portraits of Stalin and Lenin and the state flags of the Soviet Union and the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic.
The monument was unveiled by Kyrgyz Prime Minister Nikolai Tanayev, Bishkek Mayor Medetbek Kerimkulov, and Absamat Masaliyev, leader of the Party of Kyrgyz Communists and former first secretary of the Kyrgyz Communist Party.
Tanayev said the development of the people's of the former Soviet Union, including Kyrgyzstan, is connected to Lenin.
Masaliyev said the people of Kyrgyzstan received true freedom and statehood thanks to Lenin and the Soviet state he created. He believes Kyrgyzstan owes its socio-economic development and the improvements in the welfare of its people to Lenin and Stalin. [KG RU EEU EUROPE ASIA EMRG POL] av tl <>
_________________________________________________________________
> From Beethoven to the Rolling Stones, your favorite music is always playing
on MSN Radio Plus. No ads, no talk. Trial month FREE!
http://join.msn.com/?page=offers/premiumradio