Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 29 September (BelTA) – There has been a steady positive momentum in Kyrgyzstan-Belarus relations, Kyrgyzstan’s Ambassador to Belarus Kubanychbek Omuraliev told BelTA on 29 September.

“There has been a steady positive trend in Belarus-Kyrgyzstan relations since 2015. Bilateral political contacts have intensified; bilateral cooperation in international organizations has been developing. The presidents, prime ministers, ministers of foreign affairs of the two countries regularly meet on the sidelines of sessions of the CIS Heads of State Council and the Heads of Government Council, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The CIS heads of state are going to meet virtually in a week’s time in Sochi from 10 to 11 October. A meeting within the framework of the EAEU will be held at the same place,” the diplomat remarked.

Ambassador Kubanychbek Omuraliev also recalled that the seventh session of Belarus-Kyrgyzstan intergovernmental commission took place in Minsk on 5 June 2017. As a result of the meeting, the sides signed a protocol stating that the contacts between Belarusian companies and Kyrgyzstan’s partners had intensified. The commission’s next session will take place in Bishkek in 2018. The date is to be announced in due course.

As a result of bilateral cooperation, an assembly facility for tractors and a service center for MTZ’s agricultural vehicles were opened at the Avtomash-Radiator plant in Bishkek in November 2016. According to the ambassador, Kyrgyzstan exports some 90% of the radiators for Minsk tractors. The same facility has started assembling combine harvesters of the Belarusian agricultural machines manufacturer Gomselmash.

In April 2017, Kyrgyzstan’s Opt-Invest company delivered the first batches of textile products to Belarus. Opt-Invest and a Belarusian company have recently sealed a deal to import sewn products from Kyrgyzstan.

The countries have also established a cross-cultural dialogue. Kyrgyzstan plans to hold a number of events marking Chinghiz Aitmatov’s 90th anniversary in 2018 in cooperation the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Culture Ministry, the Information Ministry, and other Belarus’ government bodies and agencies. The celebrations will include film screenings, republication of the author’s books, and the like. Chinghiz Aitmatov State National Russian Drama Theatre will come to Minsk next week. “We also arrange annual events together with Belarus dedicated to the anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Every year Kyrgyzstan’s embassy in Minsk and the administration of Minsk’s Oktyabrsky District organize a meeting to commemorate Hero of the USSR Dzhumash Asanaliev who perished in Belarus in 1944. I should recall that 2017 marks the 25th anniversary of Kyrgyzstan-Belarus relations, and we are doing our best to prepare for this significant event,” Ambassador Kubanychbek Omuraliev added.

Speaking about his favorite Belarusian dish, the diplomat commended the quality of Belarusian dairy products. “My favorite Belarusian dish is potato pancakes (draniki). I also like dairy products very much: quark, kefir, and yogurts. I have been to some Belarusian dairies in person. They make high-quality products. As far as I know, Belarus has started producing kumys for medical purposes. This all shows that there is potential in the development of our relations,” the ambassador summarized.