The Head of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan and the Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus Exchanged Christmas Greetings

On January 12, 2025, in Astana, a reception dedicated to the Feast of the Nativity of Christ and the New Year took place at the Spiritual and Cultural Center named after the Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius. The event was held with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan.

The distinguished guests of the celebration included the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Republic of Kazakhstan, P.V. Utyupin, and his spouse.

The participants exchanged greetings on the Nativity of Christ. The words of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, K.-J.K. Tokayev, were quoted, in which he described this radiant holiday in his Christmas message to the people as a symbol of centuries-old traditions of goodness, mercy, love, and care for one’s neighbor.

After exchanging greetings, Pavel Vladimirovich informed Metropolitan Alexander about the activities of the embassy and shared his impressions of meetings with the Secretary General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), K. Sarybay, and the Director General of the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS), B. Aryn. The diplomat also noted that the President of Belarus, A.G. Lukashenko, signed Decree No. 1, declaring 2025 the Year of Improvement in Belarus. This year marks the beginning of a five-year quality initiative and includes a range of measures aimed at creating and maintaining a convenient, safe, modern, and aesthetically organized environment for people’s lives.

The head of the Metropolitan District informed his interlocutor about the implementation of a spiritually and culturally significant project—the construction of an educational center with a church dedicated to All Saints of Kazakhstan in Astana. The hierarch emphasized that this project has received the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and the approval of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, K.-J.K. Tokayev. Metropolitan Alexander shared that a prayer service for the beginning of construction was recently held on the site allocated by the city authorities.

The archpastor also shared with the guest the outcomes of the recent bringing of a relic—a piece of the holy relics and the vestment of Blessed Matrona of Moscow—to the Metropolitan District. The metropolitan noted that over 300,000 people venerated the relic, which visited the capital city of Astana, the southern capital of Almaty, and major regional centers and cities of the country, providing spiritual consolation, strength, and support in a short time.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan and the head of the Belarusian diplomatic mission exchanged greetings for Christmas and the New Year and wished each other health and success in their endeavors.