On December 10 of this year, as part of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a round table was held in Yerevan on the topic: «Interfaith dialogue for the sake of peace and harmony», organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Armenia jointly with N. Nazarbayev Center for Development of Interfaith and Intercivilization Dialogue.
At the round table from the Kazakh side, the Deputy Chairman of the Department of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District for Relations between Church and Society, the Clerics of the Assumption Cathedral, Archpriest D. Baydek, Professor of the Military Institute of the National Guard of the Republic of Kazakhstan, S. Suleimenova, Professor of the Department of Religious Studies at the Eurasian National University named after L.N. Gumilyov Y. Shapoval, Director of the Institute of Contemporary Studies of ENU named after L.N. Gumilyov M. Sydyknazarov, chairman of the Armenian ethnocultural association «Van» S. Salumyan. From the Armenian side, the head of the Foreign Relations Department of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Archbishop N.Hovhannisyan, Chairman of the NGO «Integration and Development» A. Safaryan, General Director of «Arminfo» Information Agency E. Mkrtchyan, Head of the Armenian Analytical Center for Globalization and Regional S. Grigoryan, Head of the Department of Turkic Studies, Yerevan State University, Professor A. Safaryan.
Opening the event, in his welcoming speech, the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Armenia B. Imanbayev spoke in detail about the key achievements of Kazakhstan during the period of Independence, the main provisions of the Address of the President K.K. Tokayev to the people of Kazakhstan «The unity of the people and systemic reforms are a solid basis for the country's prosperity» and international initiatives of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as the successful Kazakhstani model of interfaith and interethnic harmony.
In turn, expressing gratitude to the participants of the round table, in particular, to the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Armenia B. Imanbayev for support in organizing the event, the Chairman of the Board of N. Nazarbayev Center B. Sarsenbayev in his welcoming speech emphasized the role of Elbasy N. Nazarbayev in strengthening interfaith dialogue in Kazakhstan and around the world, which initiated a significant and authoritative platform - Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, held since 2003.
«Taking a course towards modernization and development of the principles of spiritual diplomacy, Kazakhstan has firmly consolidated its position in the international arena. Today, thanks to the strategic course of the Head of State K. Tokayev, our country makes a significant contribution to strengthening regional and global stability, as well as promoting interfaith and interreligious dialogue in the world», - said the Chairman of the Board of the Center.
In general, all the participants of the round table noted the importance of Kazakhstani initiatives in promoting interfaith dialogue at the international level, discussed topical issues of interaction between religions, cultures and civilizations and came to a common opinion on the need to further promote interreligious harmony in the name of peace and mutual understanding.
The guests of the event also got acquainted with the photo exposition «30 years of Independence of Kazakhstan», which presents photographs demonstrating the main stages of the formation and development of the country.
Recall that the round table was organized in support of the implementation of the initiatives of the leadership of Kazakhstan to promote the goals of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.
