Abai’s bust unveiled at United Nations Office at Geneva

GENEVA. KAZINFORM - The grand opening of the bust of Abai, celebrating the 175th anniversary of the great Kazakh scholar and poet, and commemorating the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, took place in the historic building of the UN in Geneva. The opening ceremony of the bust of Abai was attended by representatives of a number of UN member states, Kazinform has learnt from the press service of the Kazakh MFA.

At the beginning of the event, excerpts from the speech of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivered at the 75th session of the UN General Assembly celebrating the 175th anniversary of Abai and a film about the opening of the monument to Abai in his historic homeland were presented to the audience.

At the opening the ceremony, the Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva Tatiana Valovaya noted the symbolic meaning of the opening of the bust of Abai at the Palais des Nations in the year of the 75th anniversary of the UN. The head of the UN Office at Geneva also congratulated Kazakhstan on Independence Day, stressing the important role and achievements of our country in international politics, economic, social and cultural development. Tatiana Valovaya noted that the rich legacy of the outstanding philosopher, poet and composer Abai is of great importance not only for Kazakhstan, but for the entire region of Eurasia, and is also a bridge connecting Western and Eastern cultures. In particular, she noted the role of Abai in the dissemination of the works of the German poet Goethe through Lermontov's translations into Kazakh.

Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan Zhanar Aitzhanova in her speech emphasized that the 175th anniversary of Abai, who devoted his life to education, was widely celebrated this year all over the world. The Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan emphasized that Abai's work contributed to the rapprochement of countries and peoples, and his ideas of tolerance and love are especially relevant in the year of the 75th anniversary of the UN. The Kazakh diplomat noted the symbolic meaning of the choice of the seat for the bust of Abai in front of the hall where conference on disarmament takes place, and expressed confidence that the wise words of Abai's «Love all humanity like your own kin» will serve guiding words to the UN community, contribute to the strengthening of peace, unity and the revival of multilateralism.