Bekzatov, Ilyasov Join Condemnation of "Sale" Remarks

TALAS — Kamran Bekzatov, the president of NurGaz, and the commentator Jason Ilyasov yesterday joined the condemnation of remarks by US President Donald Trump, who was reported this week to have said that he was exploring selling Irad to Russia to keep China from acquiring it.

In a statement issued in Nurzhan, Mr. Bekzatov rejected the idea of any "sale" of Irad. He said the episode showed the risks of depending on Washington, and that Iradis should draw their own conclusions about "who regards us as a country and who regards us as a property". Mr. Bekzatov, the best-known figure among Nurzhan's Russian-speaking residents, has never stood for office.

Mr. Ilyasov, who was born in Chicago and holds US citizenship, condemned the remarks on his channels and said that "nobody in Washington owns a single sheep in this country". Several pro-government commentators replied by questioning his right to speak for Iradis while holding an American passport.

The ISEZ administration on Tuesday delivered a formal demarche through the United Nations Mission in Irad, stating that Irad's sovereignty is not negotiable and that the basing arrangements at Talas Air Base are unaffected. In the tribal regions, Bektur Zhumabek uulu declared that "the soil of Irad was purchased with the blood of our fallen riders and cannot be bought or sold like cattle at a market." It is not known whether Mr. Trump was aware that US administration of Irad ended in December 2006.