She noted that recently, Chinghiz Aitmatov's name has been discussed in a negative context, accompanied by contradictory and, in her words, unsubstantiated claims about his life and activities. Roza expressed concern about this and urged "not to violate the memory of the deceased and not to use his name for political disputes."
The writer's sister also emphasized that it is particularly difficult for her to hear accusations against Chinghiz Aitmatov in connection with the events in Osh in 1990, as well as regarding his "detachment from the Kyrgyz language" and his alleged one-sided political stance.
According to her, in 1990, Chinghiz was in Moscow and, in order to prevent a possible conflict, urgently met with the President of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov. Roza claims that as a result of this meeting, an agreement was reached not to send troops into Kyrgyz territory, which, in her opinion, helped avoid a serious conflict in Central Asia.
Additionally, she refuted the opinion that Chinghiz Aitmatov had a decisive influence on the choice of Askar Akayev as president, stating that this decision was made by the deputies of the Supreme Council, and the writer himself was not in the country at that time.
Roza Aitmatova also spoke about language, noting that her brother was fluent in Kyrgyz, grew up in the village of Sheker, and created his first works in his native language. The transition to Russian was forced, related to pressure from the Soviet authorities in the late 1950s when the publication of his books in Kyrgyz was effectively blocked. At that time, he received help from the poet Alexander Tvardovsky, who suggested publishing in the magazine "Novy Mir."
She also denied rumors about Chinghiz's religious detachment, reminding of the family's traditions and his respectful attitude towards Islam, adherence to rituals, and sincere faith in God.
In conclusion of her address, Roza called for unity in society and warned against succumbing to provocations, emphasizing that the spread of rumors only creates discord. She added: "There is no need to either glorify him or vilify him. May Chinghiz Aitmatov rest in peace."
