Vasil Shaykhraziev was told about the successes and problems of the Tatars of Kyrgyzstan

September 02, 2018

Deputy Prime Minister of Tatarstan, Chairman of the National Council of the World Tatar Congress Vasil Shaykhraziev met with the Tatars of Kyrgyzstan. During the meeting with the activists of the NGO “Tatar-Bashkir Cultural Center” Tugan tel “of Kyrgyzstan he was told about the life of our compatriots, their successes and failures, existing problems.

As previously reported, these days Vasil Shaykhraziev is on a working visit to the Kyrgyz Republic. Yesterday he visited the training center “Asyl Bala” and got acquainted with its activities.

Today’s meeting with the Tatars of Kyrgyzstan took place in the building of the Ministry of Culture, Information and Tourism. Vasily Shaikhraziyeva was met at the entrance with  chak-chak and music. Communication also took place in a warm atmosphere. More than 60 Tatars of Kyrgyzstan gathered for the meeting.

During the meeting, they talked about the life of the Tatars in the republic, touched upon the issues of studying and preserving the language, the compatriots told about their achievements in different areas and shared the existing problems. Also, there were creative performances. The meeting was completed by the joint singing of the anthem of the Tatar people “Tugan tel.”

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Tatars moved to Kyrgyzstan from Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. They were one of the first educators who opened schools in the republic and taught Kyrgyz youth to read and write. At present, about 50 thousand Tatars live in Kyrgyzstan, including about 16 thousand in Bishkek (the population of Bishkek is over 1 million people).

The largest number of the Tatar Diaspora in Kyrgyzstan occurred in the late 1980s.  and amounted to more than 70 thousand people. Tatars of Kirghizia are represented in the republic in all spheres of activity – industry, agriculture, education, public health, science, management, culture, etc., occupy positions from workers to heads of the republican level, from the teacher of the school to the professor of higher education.

The Republican Public Association “Tatar-Bashkir Cultural Center” Tugan tel “has been functioning for 28 years. Since 1998, it  is led by Ulmaskulova Gulsina Khaydarovna. In 7 regions of the republic there are its branches: Tokmok, Kara-Balta, Osh, Cholpon-Ata, Kant, Karakol, Naryn. At the center there is a Sunday school, the teacher is Nuriya Salafovna Sharafutdinova. On television once a month, a 20-minute telecast is on the air, on the radio – a 10-minute program in the Tatar language. The Center “Tugan tel” celebrates national and religious holidays. The performances of the ensemble of the song “Sarman” and the children’s dance collective “Tugan tel”, working at the center, are very warmly received by the population.

The Executive Committee of the World Congress of Tatars maintains close ties with the Tatar Diaspora in Kyrgyzstan.