On April 3, 2025, a meeting took place at the regional akimat between the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, and the Akim of Kostanay Region, Kumar Irgibayevich Aksakalov.
Participants of the meeting included Hieromonk Gennady (Burdyuzha), Secretary of the Kostanay Diocese, and from the civil authorities, B.S. Bukeyev, Head of the Religious Affairs Department of the Kostanay Region Akimat.
Kumar Irgibayevich warmly welcomed the archpastor, thanking him for the visit and for his attention to the spiritual life of the region.
The head of the regional executive authority shared with Metropolitan Alexander updates on the life of the region, including his recent visit to KamLitKZ LLP – a company implementing major industrial projects in the area. The Akim noted that construction of a second plant is nearing completion on the company’s site, which will produce high-tech products in demand both in Kazakhstan and abroad.
Metropolitan Alexander spoke about the life of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan, which this year marks the 15th anniversary of its establishment. The hierarch emphasized that on October 6 of this year, the independent Kostanay and Rudny Diocese, formed within the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, will celebrate the 15th anniversary of its founding.
A significant topic of conversation was the upcoming visit to Kazakhstan by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, anticipated by the entire Orthodox faithful of Kazakhstan. The Head of the Metropolitan District informed the Akim that His Holiness would arrive in the Republic to participate in the VIII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions to be held this September in Astana.
Both parties highly praised the efforts of the President of Kazakhstan, K.-Zh.K. Tokayev, whose initiative has ensured the continued development of this major international forum held regularly in the nation’s capital.
The archpastor also informed K.I. Aksakalov about the ongoing restoration of the historic diocesan sacred site – the Monastery in honor of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God and the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in the village of Oktyabrskoye, Kostanay Region. He warmly thanked the regional leader for allocating land for the construction of a church dedicated to the Icon of the Mother of God “She Who Makes the Crops Grow.”
During the discussion, it was noted that the Republic of Kazakhstan, despite the challenges of the modern age, continues to uphold fundamental principles of harmonious interethnic relations, fostering cultural development and striving to strengthen moral values, traditions, and customs of the peoples and ethnic groups living together as one family in their common Home – Kazakhstan.
In the context of national policy on dialogue with representatives of traditional religions, the conversation touched upon the peacekeeping role of the country’s two leading confessions – Hanafi Islam and Orthodox Christianity.
The meeting concluded in a cordial atmosphere, with Metropolitan Alexander and Kumar Irgibayevich exchanging words of goodwill.
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