First President of Russia Boris Yeltsin goes on vacation to Kyrgyz lake Issyk-Kul

The First President of Russia Boris Yeltsin and his wife on Wednesday arrived in Kyrgyzstan to spend their holidays on Lake Issyk-Kul.

As chief of the protocol of the First Russian President Vladimir Shevchenko reported, Boris and Naina Yeltsin had arrived in Kyrgyzstan at the personal invitation of its President Askar Akayev. The First President of Russia will spend approximately two weeks there.

The guests from Russia will stop at the residence of the Kyrgyz President in Cholpon-Ata, on the shores of the Issyk-Kul.

Lake Issyk-Kul is a unique resort in which, according to different estimates, up to a million tourists from many countries spend their holidays every year.

The slightly salty water of the lake is unique from the point of view of its medicinal qualities. The lake is situated at the height of 1,700 metres above the sea level and is surrounded with snow-covered mountain summits.

Lake Issyk-Kul is 180 kilometres long, 40-60 kilometres wide and 702 metres deep in some places. In winter, the temperature of its water does not drop below 8-10 degrees Centigrade. At the present time, at the peak of the summer season, the temperature of the Issyk-Kul water is approximately 22-24 degrees.