Maulen Ashimbayev: It is important to unite the efforts of religious leaders and effectively use the potential of spiritual diplomacy

Speaker of the Senate of the Parliament, Head of the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions Maulen Ashimbayev, as part of his visit to Saudi Arabia, took part in the round table "Religious Leaders for a Just and Safe World". The forum participants exchanged views on strengthening interaction and improving approaches to overcome the pressing problems of humanity. On the sidelines of the forum, the Chairman of the Senate also held a meeting with the leadership of the World Muslim League.

Welcoming the participants of the round table, Maulen Ashimbayev emphasized the important mission of the co-organizers of the event - the World Islamic League and the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in establishing communications between peoples, cultures and religions, at a time when the international community is facing new global challenges. These include geopolitical tensions, environmental and economic instability, pandemics and other problems. And in this context, as noted, the round table, uniting representatives of various faiths, international and political organizations, serves as an important and timely platform for constructive dialogue.

"We have gathered on this sacred land to join our efforts to overcome common challenges of our time, first of all, the consequences of growing geopolitical tensions. Today, a difficult situation is developing in the Middle East, in Palestine, in Gaza, where civilians are suffering. It is necessary to stop the bloodshed and intensify political dialogue. The Muslim World League plays an important role in this process. Of particular importance and value is the Mecca Declaration, which condemns any manifestations of discrimination against religion, race and faith. The document calls on the world to take joint action against intolerance and hatred. Therefore, we all perceive this declaration as an important contribution of Saudi Arabia and the Muslim World League to strengthening global peace," the Head of the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions said in his speech.

Focusing on the relevance of the issues raised during the round table, Maulen Ashimbayev emphasized that socio-economic problems are becoming increasingly acute in the world. Along with this, the spiritual crisis, as well as the consumer attitude towards nature and society, have a destructive impact on humanity. In such a difficult situation, the need for new approaches to global dialogue and confidence building is growing.

"President of the country Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich Tokayev pays special attention to the issues of forming a strong system of international security. In this regard, the President of Kazakhstan has put forward an initiative to create a new global movement for peace. Religious leaders can play a special role in this process. In September of this year, Astana will host the VIII Congress on the theme "Dialogue of Religions: Synergy for the Future". Joint actions of religious, political and public leaders are very important now. Within the framework of the Congress, a special session on the protection of religious sites will also be organized jointly with the UN Alliance of Civilizations. Thus, the priorities of the Congress and the World Islamic League coincide. In this regard, we are interested in strengthening comprehensive cooperation with the League in these areas," concluded Maulen Ashimbayev.

Following the round table, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Muslim World League and the International Center for Interfaith and Interreligious Dialogue, located in Kazakhstan. It should be noted that representatives of government agencies, academia, civil society and the media of Saudi Arabia also took part in the round table.

On this day, Maulen Ashimbayev also met with the Deputy Secretary General of the Muslim World League Abdulrahman bin Abdullah Al-Zayd, at which the parties discussed current challenges of our time and exchanged proposals for overcoming them, as well as for strengthening further cooperation in other areas.

For his part, the Deputy Secretary General of the Muslim World League highly appreciated Kazakhstan's efforts to establish a global interreligious dialogue and expressed interest in continuing work in this direction, including the implementation of joint projects. In particular, they discussed the organization of an international exhibition and the construction of the Museum of Islamic Civilization in Astana, dedicated to the life of the Prophet Muhammad.

(Press Office of the Senate, 74-72-27. Photo by: N.Baibullin)