Athens, 24 May 2022

Secretary General of Inter-Parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy points out danger of resurgence of revisionism to Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Athens

The Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO), Hellenic Parliament MP, Dr Maximos Charakopoulos, met with the new Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Athens Yerlan Baudarbek-Kozhataev.

During the meeting, Mr Charakopoulos said: "In these critical circumstances for the whole of mankind, burdened by the catastrophic war in Ukraine and the resurgence of revisionism in the wider Eurasian region, dialogue and mutual understanding initiatives coming from representatives of different cultures and religions are most welcome. Much more now, when certain parties attempt to instrumentalise religion for their own purposes and political interests. In this light, the "Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions" to be held in the capital of Kazakhstan, the largest country in Central Asia, is praiseworthy. Needless to say that we are honoured to accept the invitation to participate in this important initiative, as we share similar values ​​and visions ".

The Ambassador of Kazakhstan handed over to the IAO Head a formal invitation to participate in the work of the 7thCongress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions to be held in the capital of Kazakhstan, Nur Sultan, on September 14 and 15, 2022. The upcoming congress’s central theme is "The role of the leaders of world and traditional religions in the spiritual and social development of humanity in the post-pandemic period." The event is expected to be of a very high level, while Pope Francis has already confirmed his participation.

Mr Baudarbek-Kozhataev informed Mr Charakopoulos that, following the recent parliamentary elections in his country, the composition of the delegation of the Parliament of Kazakhstan to the IAO remains unchanged. He also stressed that Kazakhstan - both at the governmental level and at the level of civil society - is committed to the principles of religious tolerance and respect for religious freedom.

Mr Charakopoulos referred extensively to the issue of the Hagia Sophia conversion into a mosque by the Turkish administration and invited him to join the international public awareness campaign carried out by the IAO. In this context, he offered to the Ambassador of Kazakhstan the volume published by the inter-parliamentary institution entitled "Hagia Sophia: The Temples of God’s Wisdom around the World".

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