Buenos Aires once again reminded me how important personal meetings remain today. Especially when the conversation is not only about diplomacy, but also about culture, books and human connections between continents.
It was a great pleasure to meet with Yulia Ilyina, Chargé d’Affaires of the Republic of Belarus in Argentina, who is actively involved in developing Belarusian-Argentinian humanitarian and cultural relations.
During our meeting, we presented the latest issues of OCA Magazine and OCA People, featuring remarkable Eurasian personalities Gulchekhra Begim-Makhmudova and Maryam Tobokelova as the main cover stories.
Our conversation was warm, thoughtful and genuinely inspiring. We spoke about promoting Eurasian culture in Latin America, international festivals, literary translations, and the possibilities of publishing Belarusian authors in Spanish.
One of the most fascinating topics was the large Belarusian community in Argentina. Over many decades, a strong diaspora has formed here — people who, despite the distance, continue to preserve the memory of their homeland, language and culture. Through books, art and cultural initiatives, this connection becomes even stronger.
For Hertfordshire Press and the Eurasian Creative Guild, meetings like this always carry special meaning. For almost 25 years, we have been building bridges between countries and continents through literature, magazines, festivals and cultural dialogue.
Latin America is becoming increasingly open to Eurasian culture. And that is truly inspiring.
Marat Akhmedjanov, the founder of the British publishing house Hertfordshire Press and patron of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London)
