Russian President Vladimir Putin has awarded Zuhra Shidakova of Kyrgyzstan the Order of Friendship, AKIpress reports.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has awarded Zuhra Shidakova of Kyrgyzstan the Order of Friendship, AKIpress reports.
Shidakova is president of the international association of Karachays, Ata-Zhurt, in Kyrgyzstan. The Karachays are a Turkic people, and the association represents their community in Kyrgyzstan.
Why it matters: the award recognises a diaspora leader who keeps a Turkic community's identity alive far from its homeland, a story that runs through much of Central Asia.
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