This meeting also included the Minister of Energy of the Kyrgyz Republic, Talaybek Ibraev, Alexey Shirshov, and representatives of the company PJSC "RusHydro".
Photo from the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation. Kyrgyz delegation. Far left - Alexey Shirshov
After the negotiations, questions arose on social media and in the media regarding Alexey Shirshov's role in this process. Daniyar Amangeldiev commented on this issue in an interview with the publication 24.kg.
According to him, Shirshov's participation in working meetings with Sergey Tsivilev and representatives of "RusHydro" was due to the need for a professional approach and expertise in complex negotiations.
“The agenda includes an important and prolonged issue of bilateral cooperation — the resolution of the problem of constructing the Upper Naryn cascade of hydropower plants, which has been frozen since 2016. The Russian side demands the return of invested funds, which poses a task for the government to find the best option for Kyrgyzstan,” he noted.
Amangeldiev added that Shirshov was involved in the negotiations due to his extensive understanding of the history of the issue and the details of the project, starting from 2008. His knowledge of the initial agreements and technical specifications of the project is crucial for forming a reasoned position for the Kyrgyz side in discussions with "RusHydro".
“In the current conditions, we are using all available resources to advance the project and protect the interests of the republic in the energy sector,” emphasized Daniyar Amangeldiev.
Additionally, he noted that Shirshov had also collaborated with the previous government led by Akylbek Japarov.
“He facilitated the return of 6 billion soms in the 'Elkat' case and is helping to recover the assets of the Bakiev family from Spain. In these matters, the connection with many people who could assist in their resolution has been lost, so Shirshov is valuable for his information,” added Amangeldiev.
“We are experiencing a shortage of electricity, and the issues of its coverage need to be resolved quickly. As is known, at the beginning of the construction of the cascade of hydropower plants in Naryn under the leadership of former president Almazbek Atambayev, Kyrgyzstan unilaterally denounced the agreement with 'RusHydro', which led to litigation, resulting in the republic having to pay the company $37 million. Considering the fines, the total amount exceeded $50 million,” he explained.
Currently, negotiations are ongoing with the Russian side, and various options for resolving the problem are being proposed. “RusHydro” is a corporate company, and one of our proposals involves writing off the $37 million debt, as well as the possibility of joint participation in the construction of the cascade of hydropower plants with an investor interested in the project. At this moment, I cannot disclose the name of the investor, as negotiations are ongoing. We have outlined further steps and agreed to continue working in this direction,” he reported.
Earlier, President Sadyr Japarov emphasized that the construction of the Upper Naryn cascade of hydropower plants would not resume until the debt dispute with "RusHydro" is resolved.
It is worth recalling that Alexey Shirshov was suspected of corruption: he was detained on May 9, 2022, and then released under house arrest. The investigation believes that he was involved in the illegal alienation of expensive real estate from state ownership on the territory of the "Aurora Plus" recreation center.
