Chairman of the Senate Maulen Ashimbayev and a group of deputies made a working visit to the Vatican and the Italian Republic. During the visit, an audience with Pope Francis was held, as well as a round table meeting organized by the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue of the Vatican and the Secretariat of the Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. In addition, the senators discussed prospects for strengthening interparliamentary cooperation with the deputies of the Senate of the Parliament of the Italian Republic.
Welcoming Pope Francis, Maulen Ashimbayev expressed his gratitude to the Pontiff for the audience and noted that the official visit of the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to the Vatican in January this year gave a significant impetus to strengthening friendly relations between Kazakhstan and the Vatican. The Speaker of the Senate also expressed appreciation for the full support of the Holy See for the Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. Maulen Ashimbayev also stressed that the personal participation of the Pope in the work of the VII Congress contributed to the further strengthening of global interreligious dialogue and the development of spiritual diplomacy at the international level.
In his turn, Pope Francis noted that the Holy See supports Kazakhstan's efforts to promote the ideas of peace and cooperation between representatives of various religions. He also shared his memories of participating in the VII Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions held in Astana.
"This meeting is an opportunity for me to recall the Seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, in which I took part when I travelled to Astana. The Congress is a unique and well-tested platform for dialogue not only among religious leaders, but also with the world of politics, culture and the media. It is a praiseworthy initiative that fits well with Kazakhstan’s vocation to be a land of encounter. In addition to my Apostolic Journey, I was able to express my closeness to the Kazakh people when the President of the Republic, who had so graciously welcomed me to the Nation, visited the Vatican last January. We need to support each other in fostering harmony between religions, ethnic groups and cultures, a harmony of which your great country can be proud”.
A round table on ecology, global warming and environmental protection was also organized during the visit. In his speech, Maulen Ashimbayev noted that the President of Kazakhstan pays special attention to the transition to a green economy. Comprehensive work is carried out within the framework of national legislation, the Parliamentary Commission for Monitoring the implementation of national goals and objectives in the field of sustainable development of the Republic of Kazakhstan and other areas.
The Speaker of the Senate stressed the special importance of spiritual diplomacy for solving the urgent challenges of the modern world.
"The activities of the Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions are focused on actively promoting the joint efforts of religious leaders, politicians and international organizations in the context of urgent challenges of the modern world. Spiritual leaders have significant influence not only locally, but also internationally. Together, they could provide significant assistance in addressing issues of climate change, inequality, extremism, and contribute to ending conflicts and wars. I am sure that we all share common goals to build a better future for our planet and future generations," concluded the Chairman of the Senate.
Strengthening parliamentary cooperation was a key topic in the conversation between Maulen Ashimbayev and his colleague, President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Italian Republic Ignazio La Russa.
"Italy is one of the Kazakhstan's key strategic partners in the European Union. A constructive political dialogue has been established between our countries. The official visit of the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Italy earlier this year was an evidence of this. This visit has given a powerful impetus to the economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation between our countries.", - Maulen Ashimbayev said, noting the importance of further strengthening inter–parliamentary cooperation.
In his turn, Ignazio La Russa expressed support for the democratic transformations and reforms implemented in Kazakhstan in recent years. At the same time, he stressed the importance of further strengthening relations between the two countries.
During the bilateral meeting, the sides also discussed issues of promoting the expansion of trade, economic, cultural, humanitarian and investment cooperation. The sides also exchanged views on expanding partnership in education and tourism.
