Today, June 10, the fifth Congress of World and Traditional Religions is held in Astana&rsquos Palace of Peace and Accord. The theme of event is Dialogue of Religious Leaders and Politicians in the Name of Peace and Development. President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev is taking part in the Congress, Tengrinews reports.
Today, June 10, the fifth Congress of World and Traditional Religions is held in Astana&rsquos Palace of Peace and Accord. The theme of event is Dialogue of Religious Leaders and Politicians in the Name of Peace and Development. President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev is taking part in the Congress, Tengrinews reports.
During the Congress, Nazarbayev will meet with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Jordan's King Abdullah II, according to Akorda. 80 delegations from 42 countries are attending the event.
The First Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions was held in September 2003 in Astana at the initiative of Nursultan Nazarbayev, the President of Kazakhstan. Subsequent congresses were held every three years and were attended by representatives of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Shintoism, and Zoroastrianism, as well as representatives of NGOs and various international organizations.
According to a representative of the Kazakh Committee for Religious Affairs of Araizhan Altaybayeva, Kazakhstan can rightly be called the crossroads of civilisations that links all major world religions - Islam, Christianity and Buddhism.
"Representatives of different nations and ethnic groups have lived and worked here for thousands of years. We have established reliable and multi-cultural ties that have a beneficial impact on the development of the country and wellbeing of the people. Such universal values as tolerance, peace, mutual respect, justice and spiritual harmony have never been alien to the people of Kazakhstan. (&hellip) Today in Kazakhstan, people of 18 denominations live in peace and harmony. The positive experience of peaceful coexistence of different cultures and religions has become a vibrant and compelling example for other countries," she said in an interview to Express K.
By Dinara Urazova