The Turkic American Alliance held its 2nd Annual Kyrgyz American Convention in Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic, on September 25th, 2014. The premier event was attended by over 200 guests and attracted a prominent delegation of government officials, legislators, leading businesspersons, academics and experts from the U.S. and the Kyrgyz Republic. In particular, 33 individuals from the United States attended, including 12 state legislators from 5 different states, in addition to high-level government officials from the Kyrgyz Republic, including H.E. Tayirbek Sarpashev, the Vice Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic; H.E. Temir Sariev, Minister of Economic Affairs; the Hon. Dr. Kanybek Imanaliev, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Jogorku Kenesh; Radbek Eshmambetov, Head of Administration of the Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic; two former Ministers; and various Parliament Deputies from the ruling and opposition parties.
The convention provided attendees a unique opportunity and platform from which prominent leaders from the U.S. and the Kyrgyz Republic strengthened relations through engagement and partnerships. The event kicked off with welcoming remarks by Dr. Faruk Taban, President of Turkic American Alliance and the honorable guests, followed by presentation on “Investment Capabilities of the Kyrgyz Republic” and a series of panel discussions deliberating on trade, economic and education issues. The three panels–“Reviving the Silk Road: Economic Development, Trade and Investment Opportunities”; “Parliamentarism as a Pillar of Democracy”; “Advancing Education: Challenges and Opportunities”–formed the Kyrgyz and Economic Trade Forum component of the convention and were organized by the Rethink Institute. These events took place at the “Ala-Archa” state residence of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic.
The convention concluded with a reception at the private residence of H.E. Laura Griesmer, Chargé d’affaires of the United States Embassy in Bishkek. Distinguished guests and participants also enjoyed a cultural excursion to Kyrgyzstan’s famous Issyk Kul, the second largest salt-water lake in the world after the Caspian Sea and the tenth largest lake in the world by volume.
