Speaker of the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly is in Kyrgyzstan to attend the events of the autumn session of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly.
Federation Council Speaker and Chair of the Council of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (IPA CIS) Valentina Matvienko met with President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov. The meeting took place in Bishkek where the Russian parliamentary delegation, headed by the Federation Council Speaker, is on a working visit to take part in the events of the IPA CIS autumn session.
Valentina Matvienko expressed gratitude to the leadership of Kyrgyzstan for their proposal to host the IPA CIS autumn session in the republic and for the excellent organisation of the events.
The Federation Council Speaker conveyed greetings from President of Russia Vladimir Putin to the head of Kyrgyzstan. She emphasised that the MPs will work to implement the bilateral agreements made at the top level.
The Federation Council Speaker noted the attention and support accorded by the President of Kyrgyzstan to the strengthening of the strategic partnership between the two countries and the development of their inter-parliamentary ties. She praised Kyrgyzstan’s initiatives that are being implemented within the IPA CIS framework, including the Chinghiz Aitmatov Prize for outstanding figures of culture and art from the CIS countries and the Children of the Commonwealth international cultural and educational forum of the CIS countries.
The President of Kyrgyzstan noted the strategic, allied character of bilateral relations that have positive dynamics and embrace all areas of life. “This is borne out by the Russian President’s recent visit to Kyrgyzstan; it was productive and successful, giving an important impetus to the development of bilateral ties. The friendship between our countries has stood the test of time and nothing can break it up,” he emphasised.
The President of Kyrgyzstan noted that the bilateral strategic partnership is steadily developing, and emphasized the important contribution of the MPs to the increased bilateral interaction.
The officials discussed ways of strengthening multifaceted cooperation between the two countries in the economy, energy, transport and logistics, and focused on the development of interregional cooperation and expansion of humanitarian ties.
They also discussed issues of Eurasian integration, international and regional security, and interaction in the CIS where the chairmanship will pass from Russia to Kyrgyzstan in 2024, as well as in the EAEU, the SCO and other international associations.
During Russia’s chairmanship of BRICS, Moscow intends to invite its colleagues from Kyrgyzstan and other CIS countries to take part in the events of joint parliamentary formats, the Federation Council Speaker said.
Valentina Matvienko thanked the authorities for their support in creating the International Organisation for the Russian Language, for promoting the plan of events in the framework of the Year of Russian as a language of interethnic communication that was announced in the CIS in 2023, and for the development of Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University. “Kyrgyzstan has launched a large programme to build nine schools with Russian language instruction. I am confident that its implementation will impart a fresh impetus to the development of quality secondary education in the Russian language in Kyrgyzstan,” she emphasised.
The Federation Council Speaker noted that Kyrgyzstan displays a careful attitude towards our common history and values the memory of the Great Patriotic War. This is borne out by the continuation and expansion of the Memory Train patriotic cultural and educational project, she said.
Valentina Matvienko presented Sadyr Japarov with a special publication entitled, “The Kyrgyz SSR and the Kyrgyz People during the Years of the 1941–1945 Great Patriotic War.” It includes an album with documented information on Kyrgyz soldiers and their feats. It is also supplemented with an electronic database on personal information on over 500,000 war fighters conscripted from Kyrgyzstan. “We hope this publication will help many citizens of Kyrgyzstan learn about the destinies of their fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers and perpetuate their memory,” the Federation Council Speaker said.