The first international media forum of the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan held in Astana

Over two days about 300 participants including journalists of Kazakh and foreign mass media, deputies of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan and members of the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan discussed new and traditional approaches to coverage of interethnic issues in mass media.

Zeinegul Seisenova, chief editor of the republican magazine “Dostyk-Drujba”:

“Todays international media forum is another step to strengthen our peace, to show the world how we can live in peace and accord. It’s then important to warn the mass media, so that there would not be any reasons to adjust any interethnic conflicts”.

5 panel discussions were held at the forum, where agreements on cooperation were made between clubs of journalists; they discussed methods of presentation of confessional issues in the Internet and social networks, and many other issues connected with ethnic journalism.

Rasul Akhmetov, member of the Council for youth police under the President of Kazakhstan:

“Today there is an external threat through Internet portals, via Internet they wants to lobby their interests through. That is why today for a country like Kazakhstan it’s necessary to have its own social network to be controlled in our country”.

The forum continued with an exhibition of ethnic mass media. The exposition represented all leading printed sources of the country. A newspaper “Kore Ilbo” was exhibited, which celebrates its 90th anniversary this year.

Constantine Kim, chief editor of “Kore Ilbo” newspaper:

“Since 1938 the newspaper has been published in Kazakhstan, and even in the most difficult years, during the Great Patriotic war and Perestroika (restructuring), in the 1990s it was still published. And after Kazakhstan became independent, thanks to the state support the newspaper is published without intervals, it develops and is a part and parcel of media space of our republic”.

Following the results of the panel discussions recommendations will be worked out from the media forum of the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan. In addition, it’s worth noting that this media forum will give a start to events of the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan confined to the Day of the First President and the Day of Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan.