N. Nazarbayev: Russia is our great neighbor, ally and partner

Nursultan Nazarbayev thanked the Russian Orthodox Church for high evaluation of Kazakhstan's policy aimed at strengthening the inter-religious accord.

"Over the years of Independence, we have always backed the equality of the relations and respect for all other religious confessions. Of course, Islam and Orthodoxy are the main religions of Kazakhstan. These two pillars of spirituality lay the foundation for harmony in our society. We all know that the world faces many conflicts these days, some of them arising from religious or ethnic grounds. For this reason we have to be proud of the stability and understanding we have," N. Nazarbayev said.

The President pointed out the contribution of the Russian Orthodox Church to development of friendly relations between the peoples of Kazakhstan and Russia.

"We have had the unchanged position over all years of our independence. Russia is our great neighbor, ally and partner," the President noted.

In turn, Patriarch Kirill emphasized that unique experience of Kazakhstan should become an example for other countries, in particular, in light of today's conflicts occurring in various parts of the world.

"You are an outstanding political figure recognized by the world. Under your leadership Kazakhstan has turned into a developed country in a short period of time. Being a multi-ethnic country, Kazakhstan demonstrates to the world peaceful co-existence of people belonging to various ethnic groups and religions," the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia said.

Besides, Patriarch Kirill highly praised the personal contribution of N. Nazarbayev to development of the relations between Kazakhstan and Russia.