The second poorest Central Asian nation after Tajikistan, the land-locked Kyrgyz Republic formerly known as Kyrgyzstan has struggled to shift to a market-based economy since gaining independence during the break up of the USSR. It has remained for the past few years in what multilateral agencies euphemistically call a transition phase.
It is true, of course, that this growth is coming from a low base, but thanks to an abundance of minerals, particularly the open-pit gold mining site of Kumtor in Issyk-Kul, there is a sense that the tide might be turning.
For the first half of last year, GDP jumped 6.4% according to the Eurasian...
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