Open Letter of the Kumtor Company Employees

published: 08 October 2013

To the President of the Kyrgyz Republic
To the Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic
To the Members of Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic

Dear gentlemen,

Kumtor provides more than 5,000 families in Kyrgyzstan with jobs, decent wages and confidence in future. Our Company contributes billions in soms to the national budget and honestly makes payments to the Social Fund for our pensioners to get pensions in time.

Regrettably, the Company has again become an object of political gambling. The new protests surrounding Kumtor do not only hamper normal operation of the mine but also, most negatively, impact on the employees and their determination to work. The pseudo-patriots speaking on behalf of the people and allegedly advocating the national interests of Kyrgyzstan do not quite realize what their adventurous actions may lead to.

All the recent pronouncements of politicians on Kumtor are full of unprofessional statements and demonstrate no attempts to make sense of the situation. Rather, they demonstrate their wish to gain political capital for their coming fight for power. That’s what has really made residents of the same province oppose each other.

The Government has held negotiations. Even a schoolboy will understand that 50% of the revenue plus a 14% tax on gross revenue, which our enterprise would pay under the new project will increase financial contribution of the Kumtor Project to the Kyrgyz economy. A denunciation or nationalization would lead only to suspension of production, international arbitration accompanied by billions in lawsuits, and the final loss of Kyrgyzstan’s investment image.

We have worked, are working and want to work on for the benefit of this country! We demand that an end be put to the lawlessness and the law enforced instead! We demand that threats to arrest the mine be stopped. You should understand that a prolonged halt of operations at Kumtor may lead to landslides at the mine and loss of gold ore mineralization zones. This would mean that we have lost an opportunity to develop the deposit and make contributions to the national budget on which pensions are dependent. We demand that the authorities and Parliament take more responsible acts! We demand stability for the whole country!