On October 17, 2022 the conference dedicated of the Day of Spiritual Harmony was held in Astana. Conference was attended by following participants Deputy Mayor of Astana Y.Baiken, President of the International Association Peace through Culture, Honored figure of the Republic of Kazakhstan, composer, initiator of the Day of Spiritual Harmony T.Mukhamedzhanov, Deputy Chairman of Religious Affairs Committee of the Ministry of Information and Social Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan B.Bakirov, Chairman of the Managing Board of the N. Nazarbayev Center for the Development of Interfaith and Inter-civilization Dialogue B.Sarsenbayev, Deputy Chairman of the Muslims Spiritual Administration of Kazakhstan Nayb Mufti Y.Ongarov, Head of the Evangelical Lutheran Churches of Kazakhstan, Archbishop Y.Novgorodov, Dean of the Astana Church District, Archimandrite S.Karamyshev, First Secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature (Embassy of the Holy See Vatican) to the Republic of Kazakhstan, Monsignor M.Tutalo and others. Also, online format was attended by Secretary General of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly, Doctor of Economics, Doctor of Political Sciences (Russia) A.Belyaninov, Doctor of Political Sciences, Deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the 3rd and 4th Convocations S. Smirnova and others.
The conference participants discussed Kazakhstan's experience in promoting spiritual harmony in the region and the unique Kazakh model of intercultural dialogue, highly appreciated by the world community.
During the conference, the Chairman of the Board B.Sarsenbayev noted that the event took place at an exceptional time for the history of Independent Kazakhstan, stressing that the scope of issues discussed at the conference echoes the agenda of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions held in September. "President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in his speech on September 14 at the opening of the plenary session of the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, explicitly and clearly outlined the dilemma: "What can we rely on to fight today's challenges? History gives only one solution: goodwill, dialogue and cooperation. There are no other alternatives to success. Kazakhstan has always been an active in regulating differences at the negotiating table in the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations. Sanctions, threats of sanctions and the use of force will never lead to the solution of problems. At moments like this, we have to return to humanitarian ideas. These humanitarian ideas are always protected by traditional religions. Respect for human rights, respect for each other, mutual assistance, openness, justice, equality – these are just the pillars of the new security system."
Speaking about the relevance of the conference, the head of the Center emphasized that the event is taking place on the eve of a landmark holiday for the whole country – Republican Day. Also earlier, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced the date of early presidential elections, which will be a direct continuation of the main reforms within the framework of the idea of a New Kazakhstan and will mark a new stage in the development of the country.
During the meeting, B. Sarsenbayev informed the participants on the main messages of the Declaration of the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions – the final document signed by the participants of the Congress – spiritual leaders of world and traditional religions, politicians, heads of international organizations, which covers fundamental issues and can be used as an aid by international organizations and politicians all over the world.
- Sarsenbayev noted that the N.Nazarbayev Center for the Development of Interfaith and Intercivilizational Dialogue under the auspices of the Congress Secretariat, headed by the Speaker of the Senate of the Parliament Maulen Ashimbayev, has begun to develop a concept for the development of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions as a universal global interreligious dialogue platform for 2023-2033.
