Aigul Japarova | |
|---|---|
Айгүл Жапарова | |
 Japarova in 2022 | |
| First Lady of Kyrgyzstan | |
Current | |
| Assumed role 28 January 2021 | |
| President | Sadyr Japarov |
| Preceded by | Aigul Jeenbekova |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Aigul Asanbaeva (Айгүл Асанбаева) (1973-11-14)November 14, 1973 |
| Spouse | |
| Residence | Ala Archa State Residence |
| Alma mater | Arabaev Kyrgyz State University |
Aigul Japarova[a] (néeAsanbaeva; born 14 November 1973) is the wife of President Sadyr Japarov and the incumbentFirst Lady of Kyrgyzstan; she is around five to six years his junior.[1][2]
She was born in a village in theTüp District on 14 November 1973.[2] She studied at a medical school, then received a higher education at the Arabaev Kyrgyz State University. Asanbayeva lived with her children abroad for three years during her husband's exile, mainly inPoland andRussia. In an interview, she claimed that she turned to PresidentAlmazbek Atambayev's wife,Raisa, for help, when her husband and son were detained by the security forces at the Kyrgyz border.[3] She and Japarov are the parents of four children, one of whom died on 26 August 2019 in an accident.[2]
During her husband's acting presidency, she volunteered to help volunteers in the fight against theCOVID-19 pandemic in Kyrgyzstan.[4] In June 2021, she joined her husband on his official visit toTurkey in her first such foreign trip.[5]
She has been compared toMayram Akayeva, the wife of the first presidentAskar Akayev. It has also been noted that her father has been working at theKumtor Gold Mine for many years, a place which Japarov for many years has advocated for its nationalization.[6]