Kyrgyzstan plans to remove the suffixes "ov" and "ova" from surnames

Kyrgyz Parliament Speaker Nurlanbek Shakiev has changed his surname to Nurlanbek Turgunbek Uulu, an initiative to preserve national identity and enrich the Kyrgyz surname system.

Earlier, he and two other deputies proposed expanding the options for surnames for Kyrgyz citizens. This initiative is planned to amend the Family Code and the Law "On Civil Status Acts". The new draft law proposes to retain the words "ov"/"ova" and "vich"/"vna" and add new options with the words "uulu" (for boys), "kizi" (for girls) and "tags".

According to Shakiev, these measures are important for preserving national identity and strengthening national traditions in an era of globalization.

"No matter how much we try to be like others, we will never be Arabs, Americans, Russians, or Europeans, we will forget ourselves and become like fools," he said.