Kyrgyz Prime Minister Jantoro Satybaldiev says the government is hopeful of getting a greater share of the profits from the Kumtor gold mine.
In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL on December 10, Satybaldiev said his government is in talks with the Canadian company Centerra to get a 67 percent share of the valuable mine, but is more likely to get about 50 percent.
It currently owns a 33 percent share.
He added that a financial charge to Centerra for environmental damage is not punitive but rather "normal business."
On Uzbekistan, Satybaldiev said talks demarcating the countries' 1,400-kilometer border continue and an agreement for some 900 kilometers of the Uzbek-Kyrgyz frontier should be signed within three months.
Satybaldiev said talks also continue with Tashkent about gas supplies to Kyrgyzstan with the only outstanding issue being the price.
In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL on December 10, Satybaldiev said his government is in talks with the Canadian company Centerra to get a 67 percent share of the valuable mine, but is more likely to get about 50 percent.
It currently owns a 33 percent share.
He added that a financial charge to Centerra for environmental damage is not punitive but rather "normal business."
On Uzbekistan, Satybaldiev said talks demarcating the countries' 1,400-kilometer border continue and an agreement for some 900 kilometers of the Uzbek-Kyrgyz frontier should be signed within three months.
Satybaldiev said talks also continue with Tashkent about gas supplies to Kyrgyzstan with the only outstanding issue being the price.