A new Cabinet of Ministers has been formed in Kirghizia

President of Kirghizia Askar Akayev has formed a new Cabinet of Ministers, the press service of the head of Kirghizia reported on Friday.

According to it, many new persons have appeared in the government in comparison with the previous Cabinet which was dismissed on May 22 immediately after the resignation of Prime Minister Kurmanbek Bakiyev was accepted.

According to the decree of President Askar Akayev, the Foreign Ministry is now headed by Askar Aitmatov, former head of the foreign policy department in the presidential administration. Police General Bakirdin Subanbekov, former head of the regional Interior Department, has been appointed Interior Minister. The portfolio of the Minister of Foreign Trade and Industry is now in the hands of Sadriddin Dzhienbekov who earlier headed the State Committee for state property management and attracting direct investments. The post of the Minister of Education and Culture is now held by Ishenkul Boldzhurova, the rector of the Bishkek Humanitarian University. Former Chairman of the republican Supreme Court of Arbitration Daniyar Narynbekov has become Minister of Justice.

Minister of Health Mitalip Mamytov and Minister of Agriculture, Water Management and the Processing Industry Alexander Kostyuk have preserved their posts. Defence Minister Esen Topoyev, who now takes part in the Council of the Defence Ministers of the CIS countries which has met in the city of Cholpon-Ata on the bank of the Lake Issyk-Kul, has also remained in the new Cabinet of Ministers.

The resignation of former Prime Minister of Kirghizia and his Cabinet was accepted at the session of the Kirghiz Security Council on May 22. At that session the Security Council considered the conclusions of the State Commission which investigated the tragic events in the Aksy region on March 17 when five people were killed and dozens injured during the dispersal of the protest demonstration.

At that time, apart from the Prime Minister, resignations were sent in by the head of the presidential administration and the Interior Minister who took upon themselves the responsibility for the tragedy.

On May 30, the Assembly of People's Representatives Jogorku Kenesh, (parliament of two chambers) approved the candidature of Nikolai Tanayev, proposed by President Askar Akayev, to the post of Prime Minister. Nikolai Tanayev was First Vice Prime Minister in the previous government. That day Vice Prime Ministers of the new government were also appointed.