“Children of Commonwealth” Forum Kicked off in Cholpon-Ata

The IX International Cultural and Educational Forum “Children of the Commonwealth” kicked off in Cholpon-Ata (Kyrgyzstan), on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul. Schoolchildren from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan take part in the Forum.

At the opening ceremony of the Forum, the heads of parliaments of the Commonwealth countries sent greetings to the participants of the event.

Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Alen Simonyan emphasised in his address that the Forum was a unique platform for the young generation and their acquaintance with the culture of the CIS countries.  

Speaker of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Natalia Kochanova noted that the Forum opened up new horizons for unlocking the potential of the young generation of the CIS countries.

Secretary General of the IPA CIS Council Dmitriy Kobitskiy said in his welcoming speech that the fate of a person was largely laid in childhood, and the fate of the Commonwealth of Independent States was determined on such platforms as the Forum.

The International Cultural and Educational Forum “Children of the Commonwealth” was initiated by the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic with the support of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS. The first forum was held in Cholpon-Ata in 2013. In 2021, it was held for the first time outside Kyrgyzstan – in St Petersburg. In 2023, the forum was held in Uzbekistan, at the children’s health camp “Semurg”. In total, more than 700 schoolchildren have participated in the forum since its inception.

The event is organised by the IPA CIS and the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic with the support of the CIS Humanitarian Action Trust Fund.