Head of the Foreign Policy Department S. Begmatov

The organizational skills of the young leader were noticed, and in 1949 she was entrusted with heading the women's department of the Frunze City Committee of the Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan. At the same time, she was studying at the Higher Party School. In 1952, she was appointed Deputy Minister of Finance. In 1959, Begmatova graduated with honors from the All-Union Correspondence Financial and Economic Institute, and from 1961, she became the Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Kyrgyz SSR.

In 1961, Sakin Begmatova was confirmed as the Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Kyrgyz SSR. She held this position for 19 years. Since 1963, she also served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the republic. She led the foreign policy department longer than anyone in the history of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan – from 1963 to 1980. From the very first year in her role as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz SSR, she was entrusted with important trips. In October 1962, she headed the Soviet delegation to the GDR, and in January 1963, she was already the deputy head of the Soviet delegation led by Yuri Andropov in Vietnam.

Begmatova was actively involved in the socio-political life of the republic, being elected a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan, a candidate member of the Bureau of the Central Committee, a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, and the Deputy Chairman of the Council of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet.

A modest Kyrgyz woman, could she have imagined that the day would come when she, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of one of the union republics of the USSR, would be entrusted with representing the Soviet Union at the United Nations and at major international forums? At the XXIV General Assembly of the UN in 1969, Begmatova headed the Soviet delegation and delivered reports at the Third Committee on social, humanitarian, and cultural issues: "Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination" and "Respect for Human Rights During Armed Conflicts." Only now do we understand the relevance and political significance of these reports.

Back then, it seemed so distant from our reality.

Begmatova made a significant contribution to strengthening cultural ties with foreign countries, organizing "Days of Soviet Culture" in the USA, Canada, France, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Switzerland, and Vietnam. She visited Arab countries on official visits: Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt. A little-known fact: Begmatova, as the head of one of the all-Union delegations in Vietnam, received unexpected praise from Ho Chi Minh himself. The Vietnamese leader, "Grandpa Ho," affectionately referred to Begmatova as "comrade Muslim" and cited her education and personal charm as examples.

Begmatova's contributions were duly recognized by her homeland. She was awarded the Order of the October Revolution, two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor, two Orders of the Badge of Honor, and many medals.

Begmatova was better known and appreciated in Moscow than in Frunze. Thus, she had a long and tender friendship with the outstanding diplomat of the 20th century, referred to as the "colossus of Soviet diplomacy," the only Hero of Socialist Labor in the field of diplomatic service, Anatoly Dobrynin. The Soviet ambassador to the USA, he worked with six US presidents from 1962 to 1986. Anatoly Fedorovich and his wife Irina Nikolaevna held Sakin Begmatova in great respect, friendship, and affection.

She was a guest at their home both in Moscow and at the residence of the Soviet ambassador in the USA.

A long-standing friendship also connected Begmatova with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, later the ambassador of the USSR to Pakistan and Turkey, Alexei Alexeyevich Rodionov.

Academician Ruald Sagdeev, a specialist in the field of space science, spoke very highly of Begmatova as a leader. In Kyrgyzstan, Begmatova oversaw scientific research, including the well-known Special Design Bureau of the Institute of Space Research of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

Sakin Begmatova - work at the Frunze hemp-jute factory