SM Lee gets hands-on with eagle, archery in Kazakhstan

Senior Minister (SM) Lee Hsien Loong took a break from his official engagements in Kazakhstan to experience a few local activities, including holding an eagle and trying his hand at archery.

He also donned traditional Kazakh attire during his time in Almaty which is the largest city in Kazakhstan, as seen in a video shared on his Instagram (IG) on Wednesday (August 26).

In the video, he can be seen holding the eagle while asking, "How many kilos is the eagle?", to which the handler replied that it weighed five kilograms.

SM Lee, smiling broadly, exclaimed, "Wow!" as the eagle perched on his right arm.

In his IG post, SM Lee also shared glimpses of his time in Almaty, including the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains, as he took some time to explore the city.

The lighter moments came alongside a packed schedule of meetings, including one with Almaty Mayor Darkhan Satybaldy.

SM Lee is on an official visit to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan from August 24 to 31, his first visit to Central Asia. 

Conferred Order of Dostyk of the First Class  

He was conferred the Order of Dostyk of the First Class by Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The Order, one of Kazakhstan's highest state awards, is awarded to individuals for the promotion of peace, friendship and co-operation between peoples. 

Over in Almaty, SM Lee and Satybaldy discussed areas where Singapore and Almaty could "share experiences and learn from one another" as both sides work to strengthen ties, with the mountains as their backdrop.

SM Lee also met with Kazakhstan business leaders, saying it was good to hear their perspectives on the country's economy and business environment.

"We also exchanged views on our economic ties and how we can deepen them," he wrote in his IG post caption.

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