Ambassador of Kazakhstan Alibek Bakayev Presented his Credentials at the Vatican to His Holiness Pope Francis

On December 4, 2020, at the Vatican, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan Alibek Bakayev presented his credentials to Pope Francis.

As part of the brief conversation, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan conveyed warm greetings to the Pope Francis on behalf of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and expressed his hope for the Pope’s participation in the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, which is scheduled to be held in 2021 in Kazakhstan.

His Holiness highly appreciated the implementation of the initiative of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev, to build a dialogue between the leaders of world and traditional religions based on trust and mutual understanding.

In his speech, Pope Francis noted: “Today, perhaps more than ever, our increasingly globalized world urgently demands sincere and respectful dialogue and cooperation capable of uniting us in confronting the grave threats facing our planet and mortgaging the future of younger generations”.

During his visit to the Vatican, Ambassador Alibek Bakayev also held meetings with the top leadership of the Holy See – Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Vatican (Prime Minister), his Deputy Archbishop Edgar Parra and Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States (Minister of Foreign Affairs).

During the talks, topical issues of bilateral cooperation, the participation of the Vatican in the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions held in the capital of Kazakhstan, as well as the expansion of cultural and humanitarian ties were discussed.

Bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and the Vatican were established on October 17, 1992. In 1998 and 2009, the First President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, payed official visits to the Vatican, and in 2001, at the invitation of Elbasy, Pope John Paul II visited Kazakhstan for the first time on a state pastoral visit.