(Adds Centerra response, background, share price)
June 14 (Reuters) - Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev
ordered state prosecutors on Tuesday to review the legality of
agreements signed with Canada's Centerra Gold Inc CG.TO in
2003-2004 and 2009, his office said in a statement.
Centerra operates Kyrgyzstan's biggest gold mine, Kumtor,
and has been locked in a bitter dispute with the Central Asian
nation's government over profit-sharing that has recently
escalated.
Centerra has "complete confidence" in the 2009 agreements,
company spokesman John Pearson (LON:PSON) said in an email.
"They were negotiated openly, fairly and transparently and
were approved by the Kyrgyz government, parliament and the
Kyrgyz supreme court," he said.
The 2009 agreements supersede all prior agreements including
the 2003-2004 restructuring agreements and are part of Kyrgyz
legislation, Pearson said.
Toronto-based Centerra turned to international arbitration
last month to settle a number of disputes with the Kyrgyz
government.
Centerra's chief executive officer earlier this month blamed
the escalating tensions on a weaker economy in Kyrgyzstan and
the impoverished nation's desire for a bigger slice of profits.
Centerra is Kyrgyzstan`s biggest foreign investor and taxpayer.
Centerra's shares were down 2.8 percent on the Toronto Stock
Exchange at C$6.70 on Tuesday, in line with other gold stocks.