KYRGYZSTAN: BUDGET TRANSPARENCY POINTS DELIVERED

UNCLAS BISHKEK 000974 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/EN (GORKOWSKI) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECON EFIN PREL AID KG SUBJECT: KYRGYZSTAN: BUDGET TRANSPARENCY POINTS DELIVERED REF: STATE 81177 ¶1. (SBU) Econoff met with Deputy Minister of Finance Abdualim Nishanov on August 26 to deliver reftel points regarding central government budget transparency. Nishanov defended the government's process for developing and auditing the annual budget. He stated that the parliamentary hearings and discussions of the budget were open to the media and that the public could easily access details of the budget in print or on the Internet. He also claimed that all significant state revenues and expenditures were included in the budget. He welcomed Econoff's suggestion that in early 2010 the Ministry of Finance provide the Embassy with evidence of Kyrgyzstan's budget transparency so that the State Department could include this in its evaluation before the next required report to Congress. He also said that the Ministry of Finance would continue to work with international organizations to improve its budget procedures. GFOELLER