Russia is working on the issue of resuming the operation of Mir cards in Kyrgyzstan and Armenia. The Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Alexander Pankin said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, TASS reports.
«Of course, we are working. We are cooperating, but they (Armenia and Kyrgyzstan — Note of 24.kg news agency) are under terrible, heavy pressure from Western countries,» the diplomat said.
Alexander Pankin added that the West is trying to find «various soft spots» in Russia’s interaction with other countries. At the same time, he noted, Moscow «hopes for the best» in this matter.
In spring 2024, banks in Armenia and Kyrgyzstan suspended servicing of Mir cards after the National Payment Card System came under blocking U.S. sanctions in February. In April, Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Akylbek Japarov said it was a temporary measure. According to him, Bishkek received a letter from a Latvian company that deals with software and maintenance of the republic’s interbank processing center (IPC). It said that the company would disconnect the IPC, if the Mir cards continued to work in Kyrgyzstan.
