Kazakh Ambassador met with ex-President of Ukraine
The meeting was also attended by representatives of the delegation of historians and archival workers from Kazakhstan – Deputy Director of the Archive of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kairat Alimgazinov and Director of the Military History Museum in Nur-Sultan Nurtaza Asilov.
The Ambassador informed the Ukrainian side about the main goals, objectives and results of the systemic historical and archival project, which was being carried out in Ukraine for the first time on the initiative of Kazakhstan.
Within the framework of the project a group of Kazakh historians and archival workers arrived in Ukraine and for 10 days held intensive meetings with Ukrainian colleagues in order to study the personal affairs of Kazakhs who were exiled or ended up on the territory of Ukraine. Among these were noted the identified archives on special settlers from Kazakhstan, who in the 1920s and 1930s were forcibly sent to develop cotton growing in the Kherson region. A separate direction of the search was the fate of war prisoners killed from the 106th Akmola cavalry division, which was surrounded by the Germans near Kharkov in 1942 (the so-called «Barvenkovsky cauldron»). This also included the study of the partisan movement, removing the dark spots in relation to the Turkestan Legion.
The Ambassador drew the interlocutor's attention to the fact that the Kazakh delegation visited a number of Ukrainian regions (Kherson, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions), where were held very fruitful and warm meetings with the university community, scientists, researchers, archivists. Also there were concluded agreements on cooperation between Kazakh and Ukrainian universities.
On the basis of the Kaminsky Higher Professional School, where the First President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev studied, was organized a collective lecture by the participants of the Kazakh delegation of historians and archivists. Ukrainian youth received valuable information about Kazakhstan and the Kazakh people.
In turn, Leonid Kuchma noted his special attitude to Kazakhstan. He underlined that he personally has much in common with Kazakhstan. His strong friendship with Elbasy has laid a solid foundation for peace, friendship and partnership between the peoples of Kazakhstan and Ukraine.
Kuchma showed interest in what has been done by Kazakhstan within the framework of the State Commission for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Political Repression. He noted that he had thoroughly familiarized himself with the materials of the speeches of the Kazakh delegation, presented to him during the preparation for the meeting. Mr. Kuchma expressed his readiness to contribute to the expansion of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Ukraine in the humanitarian sphere, study of the historical past, restoration of historical justice and in the socio-economic sphere.
At the end of the meeting Ambassador Kaletayev emphasized that all the work currently being carried out by the Embassy is in line with the preparations for the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Taking this opportunity, the Ambassador invited the ex-President of Ukraine to take part in the planned events dedicated to the Independence Day of the Republic of Kazakhstan.