President Askar said in his address to the nation on 17 October about recent achievements of Kyrgyzstan in economics. According to him, average annual increase of country gross domestic product was 5.3 percent and real income of the people increased by 37.4 percent in the last five years, the annual inflation rate fell from 39.9 percent in 1999 to 3.7 percent in 2001. He also said poverty in the country was reduced by 7.7 percent in the last two years and would be reduced by 15 to 17 percent in coming three years reaching the level of about 30 percent in 2005.
The donor states and international financing organizations promised last week giving Kyrgyzstan a 700-million-dollar help in 2003-2005 to implement the new national strategy of reducing poverty. About a half of the money could be given as grants.
However, Deputy of Parliament Marat Sultanov told RFE/RL correspondent on 17 October the economic figures given by Akayev are not real. According to him, the National Statistic Committee has its own method of assessment. Sultanov was the finance minister and chairman of the National Bank of Kyrgyzstan before.
The donor states and international financing organizations promised last week giving Kyrgyzstan a 700-million-dollar help in 2003-2005 to implement the new national strategy of reducing poverty. About a half of the money could be given as grants.
However, Deputy of Parliament Marat Sultanov told RFE/RL correspondent on 17 October the economic figures given by Akayev are not real. According to him, the National Statistic Committee has its own method of assessment. Sultanov was the finance minister and chairman of the National Bank of Kyrgyzstan before.