Astana – His Excellency, Roman VASSILENKO Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan had been held press conference for international media representatives, as a briefing for the XXI meeting of the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.
His Excellency said:” Kazakhstan will remain fully committed to the principles of tolerance, mutual respect, and understanding fostered by the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.
Mr. VASSILENKO said: strides in interfaith dialogue, international cooperation, and economic reforms are aimed at shaping a future where peace, development, and prosperity are shared by all. It is our hope that Kazakhstan’s commitment to peace, dialogue, and development will resonate globally, fostering partnerships and collaboration for a harmonious and sustainable future.”
” That it It’s evident that we are observing escalating international tensions and erosion of the global order that has been in place since the establishment of the United Nations” Mr. VASSILENKO added.
“As highlighted by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in his recent article published in The Jerusalem Post, in this atmosphere increasing geopolitical turbulences, it is vitally important to develop new approaches to strengthening inter-civilizational dialogue and trust, He added.
His Excellency explained:” This is where the role of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions comes in. It emerged as a beacon of interfaith dialogue in direct response to the surge in religious disagreements and extremism post the 9/11 terrorist attacks and over the course of two decades, the Congress has played a pivotal role in sustaining peace and stability within our multicultural and multi-confessional society”.
Mr. VASSILENKO added: “Kazakhstan has been proudly hosting the triennial Congress of Religious Leaders since 2003. Last year, the Seventh Congress witnessed extensive participation from around 50 countries, representing numerous religions of the world from Islam and Christianity to Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Shintoism, and many others. We were honored to host Pope Francis, which marked the second visit by the head of the Catholic Church to Kazakhstan following the visit by Pope John Paul II in 2001”.
Mr. VASSILENKO mentioned the notes by President Tokayev in his recent address at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, a culture of peace can only be based on the principles of unity in diversity and mutual respect, which the President highlighted the troubling state of current geopolitical confrontations and the eroding international principles. He urged nations to join Kazakhstan in reaffirming their commitment to diplomatic solutions grounded in the United Nations Charter and universally recognized international law”.
“As many of you know, transformation of Kazakhstan through comprehensive reforms has been a key priority for our leadership over the past few years. Specifically, Kazakhstan has achieved substantial progress in its democratization journey, exemplified by the implementation of wide-ranging political reforms, including constitutional amendments introduced through last year’s national referendum.”
In his latest State of the Nation Address on September 1, President Tokayev shifted focus to economic reforms with the aim of promoting fairness, inclusiveness, and pragmatism. He outlined objectives to diversify the economy, strengthening the industrial framework and targeting stable economic growth of 6-7 percent.
“Kazakhstan aims to continue being the top Central Asian country in attracting foreign investment, accounting for over 60% of the total FDI in our region. In 2022, Kazakhstan received about $28 billion in FDI, which is a historic record over the past ten years. We are placing significant emphasis on investments in infrastructure and logistics, including along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor, which connects China and Europe via Kazakhstan”, Mr. VASSILENKO added.
Finally, Mr. VASSILENKO said:” Kazakhstan will remain fully committed to the principles of tolerance, mutual respect, and understanding fostered by the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. We are steadfast in our dedication to addressing global challenges in a constructive manner and in partnership with the world community”.
“Our strides in interfaith dialogue, international cooperation, and economic reforms are aimed at shaping a future where peace, develop-ment, and prosperity are shared by all. it is our hope that Kazakhstan’s commitment to peace, dialogue, and development will resonate globally, fostering partnerships and col-elaboration for a harmonious and sustainable future”, He added.
