Kyrgyzstan seeks EU agreement as Russian money flows dwindle

Kyrgyzstan wants to sign a partnership agreement with the European Union, President Almazbek Atambayev told German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday, a sign Russia's ally seeks closer ties with the West. The move follows a decision by Moscow late last year to cancel planned investments of billions of dollars in Kyrgyz hydroelectric power projects as Russia's economy took a hit from the plunge in oil prices. Speaking alongside Merkel, who visited Bishkek on Thursday, Atambayev said Kyrgyzstan