The President of Kazakhstan awarded a Turkish writer with the Dostyk Order

In Ankara, the capital of Turkey, the Embassy of Kazakhstan held an event dedicated to Abai Qunanbaiuly’s 175th anniversary.

During the event, in accordance with the Decree of the President of Kazakhstan, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Turkey Abzal Saparbekuly presented the state award of Kazakhstan, 2nd class Order of Dostyk (Order of Friendship), to the famous Turkish poet and writer Zafer Kibar, who recently translated Mukhtar Auezov's novel ‘The Path of Abai’.

In turn, Mr Kibar thanked President Tokayev and the people of Kazakhstan for the award, noting that Abai not only shared his deep thoughts, but also wrote them on paper, leaving a rich legacy for generations to come.

At the opening of the event, Mr Saparbekuly spoke about the importance of the great poet for Kazakh people. He noted that “knowledge of Abai is the knowledge of oneself”, and the poet's deep thoughts formed the Kazakh identity.

The Kazakh diplomat also emphazised that Abai's innovative thoughts both in literature and in public life have become exemplary for the next generations of Kazakh intellectuals.

Former Minister of Culture of Turkey Namık Zeybek in his speech pointed out that Abai is the founder of modern Kazakh literature, and noted the poet’s importance of for the entire Turkic world.

At the end of the event, the Embassy held a literary evening dedicated to reading of Abai’s poems and extracts from ‘The Book of Words’. Participants of the event were presented with an exhibition of portraits of the Kazakh philosopher.

The event was attended by Namık Zeybek, Chairman of the Eurasian Authors' Union Yakup Ömeroğlu, as well as Turkish intellectuals and representatives of diplomatic missions, media representatives, and Kazakh students in Turkey.