Today, Kyrgyz citizens celebrate 18 years of independence as the «island of democracy» in Central Asia. Traditionally, the holiday concert at the central Ala-Too Square is opened by President Bakiev K.S.

We have the cleanest air and purest water in the world. In short, our country is fated for prosperity.

After the concert citizens continued to walk around the city center and parks.  Later in the afternoon the mayor of Bishkek inaugurated the “zero kilometer”, the symbolic reference point signifying the distance from the capital to Kyrgyzstan’s other regions.

Finally, Kravchuk Yefim and Rustamov Bahadir, students of the Architecture, Design, and Construction Department of the Kyrgyz-Slavic University, were the winners of a graphic design contest.  Their winning sketches were on display.

Click “read more” see photos from today.