The speaker of the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan got rid of the Russian heritage in his surname

The speaker of the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan Nurlanbek Shakiev changed his surname, which had a Russian ending, reports IA 24.kg with a link to the politician's post on the social network.

Now he is listed in the documents as Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu. According to him, it was his long-standing dream.

"Like a person, a nation has a destiny. Sometimes her prestige grows and her fame delights the world, sometimes she finds herself subordinated to others. Unfortunately, in such situations, the national peculiarity of the people is forgotten and the root is destroyed. There is nothing to hide, the Kyrgyz have also experienced such a fate, like other peoples. Now, thank God, we have the independence we have dreamed of since ancient times. But at the same time, in the era of globalization, the issue of preserving national identity as well as its independence is relevant. If we do not return to our roots, do not preserve the language, religion, traditions and customs in their pure form, then our future will remain unknown," wrote the former Shakiyev, now Turgunbek uulu.

He added that changing the surname is everyone's decision.

"No matter how hard we try to be like Arabs, Americans, Russians, Europeans, we will not succeed. Trying to be like them, we will turn into mankurts. Therefore, the time has come for renewal, a return to the roots," Turgunbek uulu wrote further.

The former Shakiev, now Turgunbek uulu is known for his nationalist views. Previously, he has repeatedly advocated the exclusion of the Russian language from all spheres of Kyrgyzstan, and also spoke in favor of blocking all Russian-language programs and cartoons on the Internet. In addition, the Speaker of the Kyrgyz parliament prohibits ministers from speaking in Russian in parliament, despite its official status.