A meeting of the Secretariat of the Congress of World and Traditional Religions was held in Kazakhstan
The XIX meeting of the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions was held in Nur-Sultan, where the issues of preparation for the next Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions were discussed.
Opening the meeting, Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan - Head of the Secretariat of the Congress Maulen Ashimbayev noted that the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions is a unique phenomenon on the international agenda and a real instrument of global interreligious dialogue.
The Head of the Congress Secretariat stressed that Kazakhstan has managed to form its own model of peace and national dialogue over the years of Independence, based on the principles of "unity in diversity", and joint responsibility for the future of the country, respect and ensuring the rights of citizens, regardless of ethnicity and religion.
"This year we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan's Independence. During this period, we managed to create our own model of peace, national unity and interfaith dialogue. This model, formed by the First President of Kazakhstan - Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev, has shown its effectiveness and viability. Today under the leadership of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev the policy of ensuring interethnic and interfaith harmony continues. Therefore, for us the holding of the Secretariat and the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions are not an image event, but an organic and integral component of the development model of Kazakhstan," - the Speaker of the Senate stressed.
Maulen Ashimbayev stressed that the current Secretariat is taking place in difficult conditions – along with the coronavirus pandemic, other global problems of the modern world have worsened in recent years. Among them - the intensification of international tensions caused by geopolitical and geo-economic factors, the breakdown of the global security system, as well as the intensification of the arms race and the problems of the global environmental agenda.
"In these conditions, the key task of spiritual leaders, in our opinion, is to form the right system of values and unite people around the ideas of peace, moral values, social harmony and mutual support for each other. The Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions is working for this purpose. I would like to express my deep gratitude for your participation and active support of our forum," - said Maulen Ashimbayev.
The meeting of the Congress Secretariat was attended by representatives of world religions and confessions from 20 countries, as well as representatives of international organizations. In their speeches, religious leaders noted the high importance of the work carried out by Kazakhstan to establish interreligious and interfaith dialogue not only within the country, but also at the international level.
In particular, the High Representative of the UN Alliance of Civilizations, Miguel Angel Moratinos, stressed the importance of the Congress in terms of discussing the role of religion in society and interaction at the international level to build a sustainable and secure world.
"This unique platform provides a good opportunity for politicians, religious leaders, international, regional organizations and all interested parties to collectively discuss the problems of interreligious dialogue and sustainable development in a more polarized world. The UN Alliance of Civilizations will be actively involved in the work of the VII Congress," - he said.
Following the meeting of the Secretariat, the venue and date of the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, which will be held in Nur-Sultan on September 14-15, 2022 were determined. This religious forum is planned to be dedicated to the role of leaders of world and traditional faiths in the socio-spiritual development of mankind in the post-pandemic period.
In conclusion, Maulen Ashimbayev noted that the meeting once again demonstrated the common desire of representatives of different cultures and religions for cooperation and peaceful coexistence. He expressed firm confidence that the traditions of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions will serve as a reliable basis for its further successful work.
Source: https://senate.parlam.kz/ru-RU/news/details/5411