Icons from Holy Mount Athos to enrich Peace and Reconciliation Museum in Astana
ATHENS. KAZINFORM - The Inter-parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO) donated copies of icons from Mount Athos to the Museum of Peace and Reconciliation, set to be opened in Astana. The donation ceremony took place in Athens during the meeting between Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko and the leadership of the IAO, Greek MPs Athanasios Buras and Ioannis Sarakiotis, Kazinform has learnt from the press service of the Kazakh MFA.
In the course of the meeting, the Deputy Foreign Minister commended the contribution of this organisation in strengthening inter-parliamentary collaboration and in the promotion of inter-religious dialogue, and also congratulated the IAO on holding its 25th General Assembly in June this year.
Due to the upcoming sixth Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Astana on October 10-11, held every three years on the initiative of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev since 2003, Mr. Vassilenko briefed Greek MPs about the unique nature of this forum, the main goal of which is the engagement of religious leaders in achieving stability and preventing violent incidents caused by hatred and intolerance. In this regard, Mr. Vassilenko welcomed the expected participation of the President of the General Assembly of the IAO, and member of the State Duma, Sergey Gavrilov.
Given the status of the Holy Mount Athos in the Orthodox world, Mr. Vassilenko also expressed his special gratitude for the donation to support the collection of the Museum of Peace and Reconciliation, which will be opened on the first day of the forthcoming Congress. The IAO's donation included copies of icons depicting the Monastery of Simonopetra (the work of engraver Ioannis Caldis, on March 27, 1870) and the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary (the work of engraver Hierodeacon Ephimios, in 1850).
Speaking of the common history between Kazakhstan and Greece, Mr. Vassilenko noted that there are about ten thousand ethnic Greeks who are citizens of Kazakhstan. They have become a living bridge of friendship between the two countries by preserving their traditions, native language and culture, as well as maintaining links with their historical homeland, together with those Greeks who left for Greece after Kazakhstan gained independence. Additionally, the Deputy Foreign Minister emphasised that Kazakhstan is a secular multi-confessional republic where, according to different estimates, there are approximately four million people practicing Orthodox Christianity, and more than 200 new Orthodox churches have been opened since independence.
In their turn, Greek MPs pointed out that Kazakhstan is widely known worldwide due to President Nazarbayev's international initiatives, aimed at disseminating a culture of peaceful coexistence and creation, strengthening good relations between religions and nations. In this context, Mr. Buras and Mr. Sarakiotis expressed support for the high purposes and ideas of the upcoming Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Astana, and also wished fruitful discussions and outcomes for the participants.