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The Kyrgyz Republic’s partnership with U.S. National Guard forces from the state of Montana continues to yield benefits for the Central Asian nation.
Baktybek Amanbayev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United States and Canada, arrived at Montana Technological University in May 2024 with the goal of tapping the state’s expertise in mining and engineering for the benefit of his country.
The visit was the fruit of the Kyrgyz Republic’s long-term training and educational partnership with the Montana National Guard. As part of the U.S. Department of Defense State Partnership Program, Kyrgyz and U.S. troops visit each other’s countries in a mutually beneficial relationship.
During his Montana visit, Ambassador Amanbayev described how his country continues to unlock its bounty of resources that include hydroelectric power and strategic minerals such as silicon. With the help of the university’s experts, the Kyrgyz Republic could accomplish that goal by providing technological training, some of it online, for the country’s workforce.
“I think there are various ways that we can work together,” Ambassador Amanbayev told his Montana hosts.
Projects that boost Kyrgyz security, particularly in the fields of food and energy production, are strategic assets to both the Kyrgyz Republic and the U.S., Maj. Chris Cory of the Montana National Guard said.
“The reality is that if we are going to continue on the way we’ve been going, we are going to require 5 to 10 times what we have now from a resource standpoint,” Maj. Cory said.
The ambassador vowed to seek approval from the Kyrgyz Ministry of Education and Science for a mutual cooperation agreement between Kyrgyz Technical University and Montana Technological University.
The Kyrgyz Republic began its formal partnership with the Montana National Guard in 1996.
Sources: Montana Technological University, Montana National Guard