Further development of cooperation between the Holy See and Kazakhstan discussed in the Vatican
Addressing the diplomatic corps, Pope Francis noted that he wishes to resume his apostolic visits to other countries, the Kazakh MFA's press service reports.
He also stressed that «they also frequently provide an opportunity to promote, in a spirit of sharing and dialogue, good relations between the different religions. In our time, interreligious dialogue is an important component of the encounter between peoples and cultures.»
During the conversation with the Ambassador, the Pope asked to convey his greetings to the leadership of Kazakhstan – the First President, Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev and the Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Thanking the Pope, the Ambassador expressed hope for his participation in the Congresses of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Nur-Sultan.
During his visit to the Vatican City State, Ambassador Bakayev also conducted talks with the Deputy Secretary of the Holy See for Relations with Other States (Deputy Foreign Minister) Monsignor Mirosław Wachowski. The Ambassador of Kazakhstan informed the interlocutor about the political reforms taking place in our country and the results of the elections to the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The main agenda of the talks was the discussion of topical issues of bilateral cooperation, in particular, the upcoming visit of the Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Head of the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions Maulen Ashimbayev to the Vatican and the Vatican's participation in the Congress, the prospects for the Vatican Bank's participation in the development of the AIFC platform and the expansion of cultural and humanitarian ties between the Holy See and Kazakhstan.
For his part, Monsignor Mirosław Wachowski noted the importance of continuing to work together to ensure the further strengthening of cooperation two states.
Bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and the Vatican were established on October 17, 1992. In 1998 and 2009, the First President of Kazakhstan – Elbasy 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.