The new Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of Kazakhstan to UNESCO, Askar Abdrakhmanov, presented his credentials to the Director-General of UNESCO, Audre Azoulay, Kazinform learnt from the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service.

During their conversation, the Kazakh diplomat informed her of the Kazakh leadership’s decision to raise the level of cooperation of our country with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the status of the National Commission of Kazakhstan for UNESCO and ICESCO, as well as of the comprehensive reforms initiated by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev aimed at building a Just and Fair Kazakhstan.

The results of the recent visit of the Director-General of UNESCO to Kazakhstan, the first for the last ten years, which gave an important impetus to the implementation in our country of joint projects with the Organization in safeguarding cultural and natural heritage, intangible cultural heritage, biodiversity, the development of quality education system, modern scientific policies, mass media, were noted.

The Director-General shared her positive impressions from visiting the Kazakh capital and the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi in Turkestan, participation in the Astana International Forum, meeting the nation’s creative young people, and expressed her readiness to support initiatives aimed at effective application of UNESCO’s potential for the development of Kazakhstan.

Ambassador Abdrakhmanov expressed his appreciation for the Director-General’s decision to transform the UNESCO Cluster Office in Almaty into a Regional Multisectoral Office, which is in line with the concept of forming the UN Regional Centre for Sustainable Development for Central Asia and Afghanistan. The importance was noted of involving the UNESCO expertise in water resources management projects and scientific research on the role of glaciers.

At the end of the meeting, the parties agreed to continue and strengthen meaningful bilateral relations to promote UNESCO values in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.