Blanar Commemorates Interhelpo Cooperative's Founding During Visit to Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek, April 25 (TASR) - Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) began his official visit to Kyrgyzstan on Thursday, April 24, by attending celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Interhelpo cooperative, highlighting the deep historical legacy left in Bishkek by the descendants of its members [workers], TASR has learnt from the ministry's communications department. Interhelpo was an industrial production cooperative of Czechoslovak workers and farmers founded in 1923 in Zilina to help build socialism in Soviet Kyrgyzstan. The first cooperative workers arrived in Bishkek on April 24, 1925. Despite harsh conditions, many members of the movement were actively involved for years in building economic infrastructure, including Kyrgyzstan's first power plant, the Turkestan–Siberian Railway, and the Chustroy dam. The cooperative ceased its activities in 1943, while some members returned to Czechoslovakia, others chose to settle permanently in Kyrgyzstan. According to Blanar, Slovakia shares with Kyrgyzstan a unique historical story of human courage, international cooperation, and solidarity. "Our ancestors sold all their belongings and chose to leave for what is now Bishkek to help build a new world. They began constructing factories, schools, hospitals, contributed to building railways, and at that time accounted for up to 20 percent of Kyrgyzstan's GDP, something truly hard to replicate," he said. lin