Kyrgyz delegation visits NCW to learn about local government, business, and community leadership

By Reneé Dìaz, Wenatchee World

Lodestar Partner's Blake Baldwin, left, leads a Kyrgyzstan delegates into Pangborn Memorial Airport's new General Aviation Terminal Wednesday in Douglas County. The delegation was in the Wenatchee Valley gor the week for tours of several cities and developments. (Credit: Jacob Ford/Wenatchee World)

A group of six women leaders from Kyrgyzstan visited North Central Washington this week to meet with local and congressional officials, learn about American government, and exchange ideas on leadership and community development.

The delegation of Kyrgyz legislators and community leaders arrived as part of the Open World program, a 10-day professional exchange supported by the Congressional Office for International Leadership. The visit was hosted by the Kyrgyz-Washington Sister Region Organization in partnership with the Cashmere Rotary Club.

Throughout the week, delegates from Kyrgyzstan met with city, county, and state leaders to better understand how different levels of government operate and serve their communities. Their schedule included meetings with Chelan County Commissioners, Wenatchee city officials, state Rep. Mike Steele, and U.S Representative Kim Schrier. They also toured the new Wenatchee Convention Center and the Pangborn Memorial Airport's renovated General Aviation Terminal.

On Wednesday, the group met with the Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority to learn how local infrastructure projects are funded and managed. The port's director of airports, Trent Moyers, led the group through the terminal, sharing its history and the process behind its renovation. CEO Jim Kuntz also spoke with the delegates about public-private partnerships and funding mechanisms used to support airport improvements.

The visit is part of a long-standing sister-region relationship between Chelan County and the Issyk-Kul Oblast of Kyrgyzstan, established through a 2017 memorandum of understanding. The Kyrgyz-Washington Sister Region Organization, a nonprofit based in North Central Washington, was formed to foster professional and cultural ties between the two regions through exchanges and shared learning.

According to the organization's website, the program is designed to build a cross-cultural relationship between Kyrgyzstan and Washington state. Both areas have strong agriculture, outdoor tourism, and advanced water resource management.

For the delegates, the trip offered a firsthand look at how American communities organize local government, develop small businesses, and engage residents in civic life.

Begaiym Mambetova, a council member in Orgochor Village, said she was deeply impressed by the level of organization and efficiency she saw in the U.S. She also manages a preschool back home.

“When I first came here, I was impressed by how everything is well-organized,” she said in Kyrgyz. “In the schools, for example, there are few pupils in each group, so each child gets enough attention from teachers. And in America, people respect time very much. Every meeting starts exactly on time.”

The group also explored how American entrepreneurs attract investors and promote products through marketing and presentation.

Beyond meetings and business tours, the delegates also had time to experience local hospitality and cuisine, such as Mexican food, American burgers and a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

The Kyrgyz-Washington Sister Region Organization’s work extends beyond leadership exchanges. The nonprofit also promotes collaboration in agriculture, outdoor recreation, and water resource management. The partnership draws on shared interests from apple production to mountain tourism between Washington and Kyrgyzstan.

Collaborative reporting by The Wenatchee World, NWPB and Murrow College of Communication Newsroom Fellowship.