BISHKEK — Akylbek Japarov, the head of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, has announced that the national budget received more funds from the Kumtor gold mine in the past year than it had over the preceding quarter-century. This announcement came during the National Poverty and Inequality Development Forum, underscoring a significant increase in revenue from the nation’s principal gold mine.

According to 24.kg News Agency, From 1994 to 2021, cumulative dividends and transfers from Centerra, the company previously overseeing Kumtor, totaled no more than $100 million. Contrastingly, in the last year alone, the government received $140 million in dividends following the transition of the mine’s full ownership to Kyrgyzstan in July 2022. Japarov affirmed the government’s stance, echoing the president’s policy that natural resources should principally benefit the populace.