From July 2 to July 4, NEAR Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin visited the Republic of Buryatia, the current Chair Government of the NEAR, where he held discussions with Mr. Alexey Tsydenov, Head of Buryatia, regarding the hosting of the upcoming High-Level Working Committee and General Assembly under the leadership of the Chair Government.
Secretary-General Lim began by congratulating the Republic of Buryatia on assuming the role of NEAR Chair Government and officially presented the NEAR flag. He assured that the NEAR Secretariat would provide full support to ensure the successful hosting of the High-Level Working Committee in 2026 and the General Assembly in 2027.
Furthermore, Secretary-General Lim mentioned that the Republic of Buryatia is considering holding the Subcommittees on Traditional Medicine and Tourism alongside the High-Level Working Committee and General Assembly during its chairmanship. He discussed related matters, including the number of invited participants, the duration of the meetings, and the limited in-person attendance at the recent Youth Policy Subcommittee in Krasnoyarsk due to the current international situation and air travel constraints. He also requested assistance in resolving the issue of flight availability.
The Republic of Buryatia, which has successfully hosted major international events such as the Buddhist International Forum and the Russia-Mongolia University Presidents’ Conference, expressed strong confidence in its ability to successfully host all upcoming NEAR events. The Buryatia government assured that it would take primary responsibility for the budget required to simultaneously host the High-Level Working Committee, General Assembly, and the two Subcommittees. It also proposed that the final decision on the number of invited participants (4 peoples) and the duration of the events (3 nights and 4 days) be made through further discussions with the NEAR Secretariat. Additionally, Buryatia pledged to develop special measures to address the air travel issues.
The meeting between Secretary-General Lim and Head Tsydenov was initially held via video conference, connecting the Buryatia government office and Moscow, due to Head Tsydenov’s delayed return to Ulan-Ude following an urgent business trip to the Kremlin, Moscow. The following morning, they met in person at Ulan-Ude Airport for further discussions.
During his stay in Buryatia, Secretary-General Lim visited the site of the newly constructed hotel near Lake Baikal, where next year’s High-Level Working Committee is scheduled to take place, as well as the Baikal Special Economic Zone Office, accompanied by Deputy Head Yevgeniya Rudkova. The next day, he toured the Center for Oriental Medicine, the Buryatia Startup Innovation Center, and the House of Friendship of the Peoples of Buryatia, where he also met with representatives of the local Korean community.
