Astana World Religions' Congress a platform for constructive dialogue, Patriarch Kirill

In the course of the meeting President Nazarbayev and Patriarch Kirill discussed a wide range of issues of theological and cultural cooperation between the countries and touched upon the agenda of the forthcoming forum. Nursultan Nazarbayev stressed that Patriarch Kirill's participation in the congress raised its prestige and significance.

The Head of State also emphasized that nowadays it was important to preserve the traditional moral principles of the society. "It takes many centuries of edifying the faith and spirituality of people to do that," he added.

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, in his turn, thanked Kazakh President for the initiative on holding the World Religions' Congress.

"This initiative requires significant administrative and diplomatic efforts as well as good will. The fact that this forum is held in Kazakhstan is beneficial not only for your country. The Russian Orthodox Church uses the congress to continue its religious dialogue with many influential religious organizations. We cannot build a system of constant multilateral relations alone, it requires a lot of resources," His Holiness Patriarch Kirill noted.