A meeting was held in Moscow between the Metropolitan of Astana and Kazakhstan Alexander and the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation V.N. Falkov

October 15, 2022. Moscow. Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan and Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Valery Nikolaevich Falkov met at the Representation of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan at the Patriarchal Compound at the Church of the Holy Martyrs Faith, Hope, Love and Sophia.

The Head of the Metropolitan District and the Minister of Science exchanged congratulations on the Feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos.

During the conversation, Metropolitan Alexander told V.N. Falkov about the events in the life of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, which celebrates significant dates this year - the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Turkestan diocese and the 30th anniversary of the revival of spiritual education. The hierarch informed the guest that at the meeting of the Holy Synod held the day before under the chairmanship of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the ruling archpastor of the Chimkent and Turkestan diocese was elected - he was Hieromonk Khrisanf (Konoplev), cleric of the Astana diocese, viceroy of the Head of the Kazakh Metropolitan District in the Chimkent diocese.

Vladyka Metropolitan informed Valery Nikolayevich about his meetings with the rector of the Moscow theological schools, Bishop Kirill of Zvenigorod, vicar of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, and the chairman of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church, Archpriest Maxim Kozlov, during which issues of interaction were discussed between the Alma-Ata Orthodox Theological Seminary and the General Church Seminary postgraduate and doctoral studies and the Moscow Theological Academy. The archpastor also told the minister about the signing of an agreement on cooperation between the Alma-Ata and Smolensk theological seminaries.

A separate topic of communication was the activity of the Alma-Ata Orthodox Theological Seminary, a higher educational institution of the Metropolitan District, which has a state license for the right to carry out educational activities in accordance with the legislation of the country. Vladyka Metropolitan informed his interlocutor about the prospects for the development of the theological school, including the establishment of interaction with Kazakh and Russian universities.

The meeting participants noted the positive results of the signing of a bilateral agreement regarding the creation and operation of branches of Russian universities in the Republic of Kazakhstan and branches of Kazakhstani universities in the Russian Federation. According to the minister, today Kazakhstani youth is one of the largest groups of foreign students studying in Russian educational institutions. Valery Nikolaevich informed Metropolitan Alexander that in September in Kazakhstan on the basis of the Atyrau University of Oil and Gas named after S. Utebaev opened a branch of the Russian State University of Oil and Gas named after Gubkin, and in Alma-Ata on the basis of the Kazakh National University named after Al-Farabi opened a branch of the Russian National Research Nuclear University MEPhI.

Metropolitan Alexander and Valery Nikolaevich discussed the prospects for opening in Alma-Ata a branch of the Russian State Social University (RSSU), the leading university in the field of social sciences in Russia and the CIS countries.

V.N. Falkov informed the archpastor that the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation initiated the creation of a new federal project "Popularization of Science and Technology", aimed at developing scientific and educational activities, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation D.N. Chernyshenko will be appointed as curator.

During the conversation, an exchange of views took place on a number of issues of mutual interest.

The Head of the Metropolitan District invited the Minister of Science to visit the spiritual, cultural and administrative center of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan in Alma-Ata, named after the confessor of the faith, Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov), and the historical and cultural pearl of Kazakhstan - the Ascension Cathedral of the Southern Capital.

At the end of the meeting, which was held in a friendly atmosphere, the parties exchanged wishes for health and success in their work