You're reading: The Guardian: Kyrgyzstan reaches out to Europe – while inching closer to Russia

President Almazbek Atambaev of Kyrgyzstan, one of Central Asia's smaller and poorer republics, is a man in a hurry. Last week he was in Russia for talks with Vladimir Putin on closer bilateral ties. This week and next he's in Europe for talks with leaders in Berlin, Paris, and elsewhere to "deepen the political dialogue", as his spokesperson puts it, between Kyrgyzstan and Europe. He will meet European Council president Donald Tusk and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels today.

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