SCO Secretary-General: Astana is relatable to my youth
"When I hear the word ‘Astana', it is relatable to my youth. Not only because Astana is the youngest capital of the world but also because my youth was linked to this amazing city," he told Kazinform correspondent.
According to the diplomat, before his arrival in China in October 2005, he was in Astana, where his friends showed him the design of Astana's future.
"A year ago, I was in Astana for several times and walked around it early in the morning, 8-10 kilometers each day. And I saw this future, which was shown to me 12 years ago, already in reality. It is amazing how Astana is growing, it's beautiful, surprisingly warm, friendly, hospitable, open to people and ideas," he stressed.
"It is no mere chance I said ‘ideas'," Mr.Alimov continued, "because Astana certainly represents the city of the future to the extent that it is growing ahead of time. It is growing, making new initiatives, that is, it is an innovative city.".
"The Astana International Financial Centre will open just in a few days. And a year ago, we all witnessed the international holiday, Astana EXPO 2017, where the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was for the first time represented by its own large pavilion," he said.
The SCO Secretary-General said that every time he comes to Astana, he is in a special mood and feels inspired.
"I would like to sincerely thank everyone who worked to create this city, those who were the creators of this city and, particularly, estimable President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who was one of the originators of the new capital of Kazakhstan. May the wind always blow in the sails of Astana and the sails of Kazakhstan ", Rashid Alimov concluded.