PUTRAJAYA: A symbol of nomadic resilience and cultural heritage took centre stage here yesterday as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sadyr Zhaparov, attended a traditional Kyrgyz Yurt ceremony on the sidelines of the latter’s official visit to Malaysia.
The ceremony featured the Boz Ui, a traditional Kyrgyz yurt, which captivated the Malaysian audience with its unique circular structure, felt coverings and timber framework, an enduring testament to the ingenuity of Kyrgyz nomadic life, Bernama reported.
Literally translated as “Gray House” in the Kyrgyz language, the Boz Ui has for centuries served as the primary shelter for Kyrgyz herders traversing the expansive steppes, valleys and mountainous regions of Central Asia.
Both Anwar and Zhaparov stepped into the Boz Ui together, accompanied by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa and Putrajaya Corporation president Datuk Fadlun Mak Ujud, marking a moment of cultural exchange and solidarity.
Designed for seasonal migration, the yurt is both functional and symbolic, durable enough to withstand extreme weather yet portable enough to be dismantled and reassembled as families follow their livestock across pastures.
The ceremony offered a rare glimpse into the lifestyle of the Kyrgyz people and served as a gesture of friendship and mutual appreciation between the two nations.
The ceremony was part of Zhaparov’s two-day maiden official visit to Malaysia to reciprocate Anwar’s official trip to the Kyrgyz Republic in May 2024.
Zhaparov’s visit also saw both nations signing a series of memoranda of understanding (MOUs) and exchange of notes (EoN) in areas such as tourism, health, higher education, digital transformation and cybersecurity.
The three MOUs on tourism, digital transformation and cybersecurity, and trade were exchanged by Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan with Kyrgyz Republic’s Minister of Economy and Commerce Bakyt Sydykov and Minister of Digital Development and Innovative Technologies Azamat Jamangulov.
Mohamad also exchanged two EoNs in the field of training of diplomats and youth as well as one letter of intent for a treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters with his counterpart Zheenbek Kulubaev and Kyrgyz Republic’s Minister of Culture, Information and Youth Policy Mirbek Mambetaliev.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir exchanged the MOU in the field of higher education with Kyrgyz Republic’s Minister of Science, Higher Education and Innovation Baktyiar Orozov, while the MOU on health was exchanged between Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and his counterpart Erkin Checheibaev.
Two additional MOUs were exchanged between the National Institute for Strategic Initiatives under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia, and between the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic.
