Minister Meets Leading Kyrgyz Women
Senior FCO Minister of State meets with leading Kyrgyz women for informal dinner
Rt Hon Baroness Warsi, Senior FCO Minister of State, Her Majesty's Ambassador Judith Farnworth with leading Kyrgyz women
The Rt Hon Baroness Warsi, Senior Minister of State at the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, met with the leading Kyrgyz women over an informal dinner in the course of her first visit to Kyrgyzstan on 13 June. The meeting was attended by ex-President Roza Otunbaeva, ex-Ambassador to the UK Baktygul Kalambekova, chair of Women Support Centre Roza Aitmatova, gender expert Gulnara Ibraeva, founder of Kalykova and Associates legal practice Gulnara Kalykova, and head of education centre Interbilim Asyl Aitbaeva.
Baroness Warsi was interested in learning about the situation of women in Kyrgyzstan from a wide variety of perspectives – from political participation to personal autonomy. She was interested in hearing about the influence of religion on the status of women in the country, as well as the new opportunities that became available to Kyrgyz women after the country’s independence.
Following the dinner Baroness Warsi tweeted:
“Free flowing conversation with Central Asia’s 1st female President Roza Otunbaeva and other inspirational leading ladies of Kyrgyzstan. Talked politics, leadership and human rights. Fantastic evening!”