The meeting of the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan with the akim of the Abai region N.T. Urankhaev

October 31, 2022. Semipalatinsk. The meeting of the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan of Astana and Kazakhstan Alexander, with the akim of the Abai region, Nurlan Telmanovich Urankhaev, took place in the regional akimat.

The meeting was attended by: Archbishop Amfilohiy of Ust-Kamenogorsk and Semipalatinsk, Rector of the Resurrection Cathedral Priest Vyacheslav Gutov, Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District Priest Georgy Sidorov, Head of the Metropolitan’s Protocol Service Protodeacon Roman Golovin, Secretary of the Ust-Kamenogorsk Diocese Deacon Ilia Kvan; deputy akim of the region Sh.Z. Baibekov, head of the department of social development of the region A.S. Sadyrbaev.

After the exchange of greetings, the head of the executive branch of the region presented to the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan information about the life of one of the youngest regions of the Republic - Abay, formed on June 8, 2022 in accordance with the decree of the President of the country K.-Zh.K. Tokaev, uniting the territories that until 1997 were part of the former Semipalatinsk region.

Akim of the region told Bishop Metropolitan about his life path, administrative and economic work in the East Kazakhstan region, activities as head of the department of architecture and urban planning of Alma-Ata and Astana. The participants of the meeting recalled the works of Nurlan Telmanovich's parent, a well-known Kazakh teacher and scientist, candidate of philosophical sciences Telman Orazgaliyevich Urankhaev, after whom one of the streets of the city of Semipalatinsk is named.

The parties discussed the religious situation in the region and the interaction of state authorities in the Ust-Kamenogorsk and Semipalatinsk diocese in improving the spiritual and moral state of society and strengthening interfaith peace and interreligious harmony.

Metropolitan Alexander told the head of the region about the life of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, for which the current year is being significant by a historical date - the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Turkestan diocese. The hierarch emphasized that in the jubilee year in the Metropolitan District a new diocese was formed - Aktobe and Kyzylorda, the Taldykorgan vicariate was opened, two archpastors were ordained - Bishop Ignatius of Aktobe and Kyzylorda and Bishop Kladvdian of Taldykorgan, a candidate was elected to the Chimkent cathedra - Archimandrite Khrisanf (Konoplev).

The interlocutors noted the importance of joint efforts of religious organizations and public associations with the support of the secular authorities of various cultural and educational events - concerts, exhibitions, scientific conferences and round tables.

A special topic of the meeting was the preservation of the historical and cultural heritage of the region, a significant monument of which is the Resurrection Cathedral of Semipalatinsk.

In memory of the meeting, Vladyka Metropolitan presented the akim with books about Orthodoxy in Kazakhstan and the calendar of the Metropolitan District for 2022; the head of the region presented the archpastor with the publication “Kara Soz. The Book of Words is the fundamental work of the great Kazakh akyn and educator Abai Kunanbaev, which consists of 45 short parables and philosophical treatises. The hierarch noted that Abai Kunanbayev's "Words of Edification" were presented in poetic form by Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, thanks to which they gained additional fame among Russian-speaking readers far beyond the borders of Kazakhstan.

At the end of the conversation, Metropolitan Alexander and N.T. Urankhaev wished each other health and success in their work.