By Mohammad Memarian
Nomadic life, unfortunately on the verge of extinction across the globe, is an enchanting idea, which requires one to live in harmony and peace with the mother nature and, at the same time, makes one feel liberated for not being bound to a certain place. Self-sufficient, resilient, family-centered, and free from many unnecessary, if not effectively harmful, trappings of too modernized a life; that’s what nomads represent.
And that’s what made for an invigorating meeting with Turdakun Sydykov, current Kyrgyz envoy to Tehran, whose life-long career in international diplomacy has not stripped him of the delightful characteristics of the nomadic civilization he represents.
Father of two, the 59-year-old Kyrgyz studied philology, interpretation, and teaching in the Faculty of Foreign Languages at the Kyrgyz National University. Two years after the independence of Kyrgyzstan in 1991, Sydykov joined the foreign service of the newly established government. He first came to Iran as an attaché in 1996, after which he served as a deputy chief of mission in New York and London. Finally, he was deployed to Iran as ambassador.
At the end of our short meeting, I asked him if had a favorite spot in Iran.
“Once I was here some 20 years ago,” Sydykov said. “Accompanying a delegation, we arrived in Shiraz. As tired as I was, we went to the Tomb of Hafiz. It was evening and there were a lot of people on the ground, reading his poems either by heart or from the book. And if you looked up, you’d see stars in the sky. The whole scene felt like coming straight out of fairytales. So calm and peaceful, with an atmosphere of unity and solidarity as poems of Hafiz seemed to have connected everyone with each other. That night, I slept like a baby.”
Q: With turbulent, unstable political situations in many countries across the wider region, first I’d like to know a bit more about the condition of Kyrgyzstan’s political system in terms of democracy and civic institutions.
It gives me great pleasure to greet our readers on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Kyrgyz Republic and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The main achievement of the past years is the stability and sustainable development that Kyrgyzstan demonstrates. Kyrgyzstan today is a democratic state in which there is national harmony and respect for political pluralism. This is a country where citizens decide their own destiny by actively participating in the political, economic and social life of their state.
Taking this opportunity, I want to assure you that the situation in Kyrgyzstan is stable, democratic processes are developing permanently, and the society is gradually being cleansed of corruption. Kyrgyzstan today is a dynamically developing diversified economy, in which foreign investors are widely represented from almost all over the world, including from friendly and fraternal Iran. The main result for the Kyrgyz economy in 2021 was the maintenance of positive growth dynamics and the achievement of the projected level of economic growth.
Q: The Islamic Republic of Iran was one of the first countries that recognized Kyrgyzstan's independence in 1991, and since then the two countries have enjoyed good relations. How do you evaluate the health of the relations between two countries?
Since ancient times, Kyrgyzstan and Iran have been united by bonds of friendship as well as historical and cultural ties, which have become a solid foundation for modern Kyrgyz-Iranian relations.
Diplomatic relations between the Kyrgyz Republic and the Islamic Republic of Iran were established on May 10, 1992. In February 1993, the Iranian Embassy was opened in Bishkek, and the Embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic was opened in March 1996 in Tehran. In fact, Iran was one of the first countries in the world to officially support and recognize the state independence and sovereignty of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, political contacts at the level of the heads of state have been characterized by stability and regularity. It’s noteworthy that in 2002, in Bishkek, the presidents of the two countries signed a "Declaration of Friendly Relations" between the Kyrgyz Republic and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Thus, on May 10, 2022, bilateral diplomatic relations between Kyrgyzstan and Iran will be thirty years old. It should be recognized that thirty years is a historical and very significant date in bilateral Kyrgyz-Iranian relations.
Q: What about cooperation between Iran and Kyrgyzstan in the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization? In what areas do the sides experience such a cooperation?
Over 30 years of diplomatic relations, Kyrgyzstan and Iran have formed a solid contractual and legal basis for their engagements, built truly friendly relations, and established mutually beneficial cooperation, including in international affairs, where we have a complete identity of views and positions.
Meetings and numerous contacts at the level of the presidents, the parliament speakers and the ministers of foreign affairs of the countries, once again demonstrated that the leaders of our states, relying on the will of the peoples, are determined to continue and develop the mutually beneficial partnership and interaction verified over the years both on a bilateral basis, and within the UN, SCO, OIC and ECO.
Specific issues of the prospects for the development of trade and economic cooperation were discussed at the meeting of the Presidents of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Islamic Republic of Iran in December 2016, as well as through the parliaments during the visits of the speaker of the Jogorku Kenesh (Parliament) of the Kyrgyz Republic to Iran in April 2017 and in August 2021.
In that spirit, during the official visit of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, esteemed Hassan Rouhani, on December 22-23, 2016, the parties adopted and signed the "Long-term cooperation program between the Kyrgyz Republic and the Islamic Republic of Iran for 2016-2026".
Q: In 2016 when the Iranian president paid a visit to your country, the two sides discussed the preparation of a plan for the next 10 years of cooperation between the two countries. Several political and economic cooperation documents were also signed during the meeting of the presidents of the two countries last year. Have these programs and cooperation documents become operational?
Kyrgyzstan attaches great importance to deepening the trade and economic cooperation and implementing joint projects with Iran, primarily in the areas of transport communications, processing industry, agriculture, energy, science and technology, engineering, food and light industry, and tourism.
Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my gratitude to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for providing a grant in the amount of 1 million US dollars for the construction of a sports complex in Osh. The construction of this facility began in March 2019 and was fully completed in September 2020. In honor of the friendship between the peoples of Kyrgyzstan and Iran, this sports facility was named after the world wrestling champion Gholamreza Takhti.
On the development and deepening of bilateral cooperation in the field of transport and transit of goods, in October 2021, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the railway organizations of Kyrgyzstan and Iran.
It should also be noted that on February 28, 2022, following the results of negotiations between the Chairman of the Board of the National Holding Company ‘Heritage of the Great Nomads’ Tengiz Bolturuk and Ali Akbar Safai, the Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development heading the Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between ‘Heritage of the Great Nomads’ company of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Administration of the Bandar Abbas Port of Iran, according to which the Kyrgyz side can use the transport and transit potential and infrastructure of the Bandar Abbas seaport.
In addition, in the line of interregional cooperation, sister city ties have been established and trade and economic cooperation is being established between the Osh region and the Iranian province of Khorasan.
Q: How do you see the path forward for cultural and people-to-people engagement between the two nations?
An important matter for the Kyrgyz Republic is the development of cultural, humanitarian, and scientific and technical cooperation between our countries, which needs to be further expanded through organizing and holding so-called Days of Culture, educational conferences, historical and cultural exhibitions, music and film festivals, as well as by establishing direct links between scientific and educational centers and communities of the two countries.
In the field of culture and education, stable relations have already been established between scientists and cultural figures of the two countries, and there is an exchange of delegations of cultural, scientific, educational, media workers to participate in various festivals as well as international and regional conferences.
Q: We’d also like to know more about your country’s initiatives for protecting ecosystems and handling climate change, which have made news in recent years.
As you know, Kyrgyzstan, together with some other interested countries, is promoting an initiative to protect and restore the population of the snow leopard, which has become endangered due to human activities. In this regard, in 2013 in Kyrgyzstan we held the First World Forum on the conservation of the snow leopard population.
In 2017, the Second World Forum was held at the level of heads of state and government, where representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran also took part.
Kyrgyzstan is a highland, landlocked developing country. Extreme climatic and physical-geographical conditions are one of the reasons for the high level of poverty among the population of the highlands and internal migration.
In this regard, as well as in order to attract the attention of the international community to the problems of mountainous countries, in 1998 Kyrgyzstan initiated the declaration of 2002 as the International Year of Mountains in the UN General Assembly. In the same year, the Bishkek Global Mountain Summit was held, at which the difficulties and ways of developing mountain countries were discussed, and the final document, the Bishkek Mountain Platform, was adopted.
I want to inform you that at the General Debates of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2021, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov put forward an initiative to declare 2022 the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development and adopt the UNESCO resolution "Strengthening monitoring and research of mountain glaciers".
This initiative was also supported by the Iranian side and Iran acted as a co-sponsor of the initiative of the Kyrgyz side, as a UN member state.
Q: Your nation is one of the few across the globe which is founded upon a nomadic civilization, and such values, traditions, and customs constitute, if I’m not mistaken, a better part of your national identity, for promotion of which, I assume, your country established World Nomad Games. We’d like to know a bit more about that.
Your impression is correct. And, in order to popularize the peaceful characteristics of the nomadic civilization, Kyrgyzstan put forward an initiative in 2011 on the World Nomad Games. So, in 2014 in Kyrgyzstan, on the shore of the mountain lake Issyk-Kul, the first ever World Nomad Games were held with great success. Following up on that, in September 2016 and September 2018, Issyk-Kul hosted the Second and Third World Nomad Games.
For example, the World Nomad Games 2018 was attended by more than 1,500 athletes from 66 countries, who competed in 37 traditional sports. The World Nomad Games as a concept contributes to strengthening mutual understanding and cooperation between countries and peoples of different cultures and religions.
In this regard, we express our gratitude for the participation of the official sports delegation of Iran in the Second and Third World Nomad Games.
Also, the further expansion of sports relations between the two countries continues. The participation of Kyrgyz wrestlers, chess players, football players and other athletes in international competitions in Iran, as well as the participation of Iranian athletes in sports events in Kyrgyzstan, is already becoming a good tradition.
At the end, I would like to express my gratitude for the opportunity to share.
No comments:
Post a Comment