Maulen Ashimbayev, Speaker of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, met with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia during his working trip to Moscow.
The Senate Speaker extended the invitation of President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to the Leader of the Russian Orthodox Church to take part in the upcoming Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions due to take place in September 2022.
Maulen Ashimbayev noted that the people of Kazakhstan highly appreciate the contribution of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill to the promotion of moral and ethical values in the contemporary world, development of interreligious dialogue, and consolidation of peace and accord between the nations.
At the meeting, issues related to preparation for the coming Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions were discussed.
“Over 18 years, six Congresses were held, and the Kazakhstan inter-religious forum has become a representative and recognized platform for dialogue. Availing myself of this opportunity, I would like to express my gratitude to the Moscow Patriarchate for its permanent and active support to this initiative of Kazakhstan,” the Senate Speaker said.
According to Maulen Ashimbayev, the theme of the forthcoming Forum was defined as The Role of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in the Spiritual and Social Development of Humanity in the Post-Pandemic Period. The Senate Speaker stressed the importance of joining efforts to find answers to the challenges of the modern world in the new circumstances.
In the course of the talks, the sides also marked the traditionally high level of mutual relations between Kazakhstan and Russia.
“A tremendous contribution to the development of relations between the two countries was made and is being made by First President of Kazakhstan - Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev pursues this policy and pays great attention to further strengthening of relations between our states. The Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, in its turn, puts everything needed for further development of the Kazakh-Russian relations, including legal support of the agreements made by the leaders of our countries,” the Speaker of the Senate noted.
For his part, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill expressed his gratitude to the Head of State and thankfully accepted the invitation to take part in the work of the Congress.
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church highly appreciated the efforts of Kazakhstan in promoting inter-religious dialogue at the global level. Patriarch Kirill particularly praised the outstanding role of the First President of Kazakhstan - Elbasy in strengthening the independence of the country and establishing an effective model of peace and harmony. He also noted a great contribution of the Head of State to maintaining the succession of this policy and further enhancing social harmony in the country at the present stage. The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church also emphasized the high level of relations between Kazakhstan and Russia. He expressed confidence that spiritual leaders should do their best to ensure that the allied partnership of our countries will strengthen and develop in the coming period.
In conclusion of the meeting, the Senate Speaker said that, in general, the initiatives of Kazakhstan in the field of inter-confessional dialogue are closely correlated to the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church. In that respect, Maulen Ashimbayev expressed willingness for further intensive cooperation to advance the interreligious dialogue and accord at the international level.
(Press Office of the Senate, 74-72-27. Photo by E. Ukibayev)
