International Center of Cultures and Religions opened in Astana

?At the II Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev declared the necessity of establishing the International Center of Cultures and Religions. The main purposes of the Center will be cooperation with international organizations, preparation for oncoming III Religious Congress and promotion of the Kazakh model of tolerance. It will render support in the issues of participation and delivering speeches at the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions?, Chairman of the Committee on Religious Affairs of the Kazakh Ministry of Justice Ardak Doszhanov said. Representatives of different confessions from India, Egypt, Turkey, Germany and experts of international organizations discussed the issues of joint solution of contemporary tasks, intercultural integrity and tolerance. As reported earlier, the III Congress of World and Traditional Religions' Leaders will be held in Astana on July 1-2, 2009.