Kyrgyz leader arrives in Russia for treatment after taking ill in Turkey

BISHKEK

Atambayev arrived in Moscow and was admitted to the city’s presidential hospital “on the recommendation of specialists”, the statement from the presidential administration noted.

Atambayev, 60, canceled a visit to the United Nations General Assembly last week after suffering chest pains during the first leg of his flight, resting in Turkey before flying to Russia. 

A cardiologist from a hospital servicing Atambayev’s office has also arrived in Moscow, according to the statement. 

A picture of Atambayev lying prone on a stretcher in Turkey hit the news but his office later said his health was “satisfactory” in a statement.  

Atambayev has taken time off since the health scare but released a statement Sept. 21 calling on MPs to pass a law to allow a referendum on controversial constitutional changes to take place in the near future.
Earlier, Atambayev’s office had announced that his short leave from his post may last until Oct. 1 due to his need for medical screening.  

Atambayev, who has run the formerly Soviet Central Asian republic since 2011, had previously displayed no obvious signs of poor health.

Kyrgyzstan, an impoverished, mostly Muslim nation of 6 million, has been politically volatile for more than a decade. Violent protests in 2005 and 2010 toppled two successive presidents. 

Atambayev has pledged to step down when his term ends in December 2017, but proposed constitutional reforms this year boosting the powers of the cabinet - led and dominated by his allies - at the expense of parliament. His Social Democratic party leads a coalition in parliament but does not have a majority.