Kyrgyz President Denies Meeting Berezovsky

Boris Berezovsky (file photo) (epa) September 14, 2006 -- Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev today denied meeting secretly with the self-exiled Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, who is wanted in Moscow on fraud and other criminal charges.

Addressing the Kyrgyz parliament, Bakiev accused those making such allegations of seeking to set him at odds with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Bakiev said: "Some people dislike the warm relations we have with Russia and the support [the president] is offering Kyrgyzstan."

He added: "I've never seen [Berezovsky] in my life and he hasn't seen me either. We've never had any ties. Our border guards today told me he never set foot in Bishkek."

A group of Kyrgyz opposition lawmakers on September 12 asked for a probe into reports that the Russian tycoon secretly flew to Kyrgyzstan from London in July and held talks with Bakiev and his son.

(Kabar, 24.kg)