It was a fairytale setting for a marriage proposal. The fiance of the niece of the Kyrgyz president proposed to her after the couple flew by helicopter to the mountains near Bishkek.
The problem? The helicopter belonged to the Ministry of Emergency Situations. This revelation sparked contempt on social media and led to an apology from President Sadyr Japarov, who campaigns against corruption.
The ministry said the helicopters were “legally leased,” and Japarov said the government sometimes rents its choppers for the benefit of the state treasury. But the ostentatious use of state property, displayed in a slick video showing Japarov’s niece Lazat Nurkozhoeva in the helicopter, was too much for some commentators, who fumed about the government’s alleged hypocrisy.
“The country’s leaders should be an example for others. I try to prevent waste,” Japarov said in an interview with the official Kabar news agency on Wednesday. He said his niece Lazat Nurkozhoeva and her fiancé loved each other and the marriage proposal would have gone smoothly if it had been handled more simply.
“If an ordinary citizen, a businessman, a tourist or an investor wants to rent helicopters, the state will gladly provide them. Because every cent from the rental goes to the state and is used to buy new helicopters. This way the aircraft fleet is constantly updated,” said Japarov. The Kyrgyz government has a total of about 20 helicopters, he said.
“I used to criticize others. Now it comes back to me,” Japarov said in his apology.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations said in a statement that the “hire of the helicopter discussed on social networks” was carried out through a legal contract. The ministry received the equivalent of around $1,800 for the flight, which lasted 56 minutes and took place on Monday.
Lazat Nurkozhoeva is very famous on social media. She founded her own clothing brand and won the Miss Kyrgyzstan beauty pageant in 2020.
