Regions of Russia: The Eurasian Peoples' Assembly brings Russia and Kyrgyzstan closer

24/04/2023 21:42

Russia and Kyrgyzstan continue to develop public diplomacy in order to strengthen the friendship between the peoples of the two countries. The Assembly of the Peoples of Russia and the Assembly of the Peoples of Kyrgyzstan are actively engaged in this process. They are supported by the International Union of Non-Governmental Organizations "The Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly" and Rossotrudnichestvo. On April 24, Bishkek hosted an international round table on the role of public diplomacy in the development of Russian-Kyrgyzstan relations.

The event was held as part of the international competition "LEADER OF PEOPLE'S DIPLOMACY", organized by the "Assembly of the Peoples of Russia". The competition was aimed at developing the positive potential of partnership and cooperation, creating a system to support direct contacts, exchange of best practices in the field of science and culture, education and enlightenment. In 2022, representatives of the non-profit sector from 34 regions of Russia and 23 countries, including Turkey, Romania, Moldova, France, Canada, Italy, Mexico, India, Saudi Arabia, Georgia, Uzbekistan, etc. took part in this event.

A Russian statesman, diplomat, senator of the Russian Federation, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev addressed the audience with a welcoming speech. He outlined the role of public diplomacy as a tool for the development of interstate relations.

“Relations between states are called people's relations for a reason. Without the participation of business, public organizations, scientists and ordinary people, they remain the lot of a narrow circle of politicians and diplomats. It is much easier for our countries in this sense. Communication between people has never stopped and has rich experience and traditions. But this does not mean at all that everything will develop on its own and no efforts will be required. People's relations mean first of all, an active work of enthusiasts and associates,” said Konstantin Kosachev.

First Deputy Secretary General - Head of the General Secretariat of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly, Chairman of the Council of the Assembly of Peoples of Russia Svetlana Smirnova was a moderator throughout the event. She consistently represented the eminent participants of the round table from Russia and Kyrgyzstan and noted the importance of building relationships in the educational field.

“Certainly, it is necessary to build relations between the universities of Russia and Kyrgyzstan. Within the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly, we have the opportunity to join you in the Eurasian space. We just recently returned from India, before that we were in Egypt, in Jordan. There we worked with higher educational institutions. We are ready to provide such an opportunity, and we invite you to cooperate at the international level,” Svetlana Smirnova emphasized.

The speakers discussed trends in international diplomacy and opportunities to promote rapprochement between Russia and Kyrgyzstan. The participants agreed that it is necessary to continue humanitarian projects that bring Bishkek and Moscow closer. The roundtable participants also stressed the need to create a single Eurasian information space to cover common activities that remain insufficiently public for a significant number of people.

The role of Kyrgyzstan as a strategic partner of Russia was highly noted, as it is a country where a significant part of the population speaks Russian. Our countries are carriers of the common culture and history of the USSR, continuing to develop their potential. At the same time, work is underway to prevent interethnic conflicts in Russia and Kyrgyzstan with the help of people's diplomacy. Efforts are being made to create an informal atmosphere within the framework of interethnic relations with the help of media people, bloggers, etc. According to the new concept of Russian foreign policy, attention is paid to partnership with Kyrgyzstan through civil society institutions, including the work of people's assemblies. There are cultural and integration centers of the SCO countries.

The Russian-Kyrgyz roundtable was attended by a number of experts and representatives, including Nikolay Udovichenko the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to the Kyrgyz Republic; Altynbek Maksutov, the Minister of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic; Vladimir Zorin, Co-Chairman of the Council of the Assembly of Peoples of Russia, Chairman of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation for Harmonization of Interethnic and Interregional Relations, member of the Presidium of the Council under the President of the Russian Federation for Interethnic Relations; Abdylda Musaev, Rector of Bishkek State University; Larisa Khoperskaya Chairman of the Association of Higher Educational Institutions of the Kyrgyz Republic; Zarina Umetalieva Head of the Center for Eurasian Studies; Valery Ruzin Deputy Secretary General of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly,  , Director of the National Center for Public Diplomacy of the SCO and others.

Global geopolitical turbulence cannot hinder the development of Russian-Kyrgyz relations. Countries and peoples already have many years of experience of living and working in a common space and achieving common economic, cultural and social goals. For Russia and Kyrgyzstan, the preservation of culture, languages, national unity remains an important aspect of successful development at the social and state levels. The potential of interstate cooperation between Bishkek and Moscow in the post-Soviet space opens up broad prospects for joint work. Relationships are based on people's trust. And trust at the level of relations between Kyrgyzstan and Russia is enough to achieve any ambitious goals.

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