INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Kyrgyzstan will stop accepting Russia's Mir payment cards amid concerns it could expose the country's financial sector to Western
Processing Center said Tuesday it would "stop servicing 'Mir' bank cards from 5 April" in order to "minimize the risk of secondary
sanctions."It cited the United States Treasury's decision to sanction Russia's National Card Payment System, the Mir operator, in
February.Banks in the Central Asian nation had mostly stopped using Mir cards in 2022, but the decision demonstrates the effect of
escalating Western pressure being put on Russia's allies.Some Western officials have expressed concerns Kyrgyzstan, a Russian ally that is
part of a Moscow-led security alliance and customs union, has become a back door for goods to get into Russia.Trade between several Western
countries and the likes of Kyrgyzstan and Armenia have leapt since 2022 when the West imposed sanctions on Russia over its Ukraine
offensive.The United States has warned Moscow's allies and partners that they will be targeted if Washington suspects they are helping
Russia avoid sanctions.Armenian banks stopped processing payments through Mir cards over the weekend, also citing the risk of secondary
