24 November 2025. Almaty. In the fireplace hall of the St. Joseph (Chernov) Spiritual, Cultural and Administrative Center of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, a meeting took place between Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan and the newly appointed Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Georgia to Kazakhstan, Levan Diasamidze.
Present at the meeting were Bishop Klavdian of Taldykorgan, Vicar of the Astana Diocese, O.N. Ovchinnikov, Secretary of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, Honored Artist of Russia, member of the Patriarchal Council for the Development of Church Singing, Archimandrite Gavriil (Tutberidze), pastor who ministers to the Georgian diaspora of the Almaty Diocese, Abbess Lyubov (Yakushkina) of the Iveron–Seraphim Convent of Almaty, representatives of the Georgian diaspora.
Metropolitan Alexander congratulated Levan Diasamidze on his appointment as Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador and wished that his diplomatic work would contribute to the further development of relations between Kazakhstan and Georgia in the spheres of politics, economy and culture.
The guest shared with the Metropolitan details of his biography and spoke about his service in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Georgia and his diplomatic assignments in Germany, Austria and Moldova.
The participants noted that Kazakhstan today presents to the world an exemplary model of intercivilizational, interreligious and interethnic dialogue. A clear testimony to this is the unique forum held in the capital of the Republic – the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, which may rightfully be regarded as an effective dialogue platform for addressing global challenges faced by nations and peoples.
The Metropolitan told the Ambassador about the life of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, which this year marks an important date – the 15th anniversary of the canonical and legal establishment of the Metropolitan District. According to the Metropolitan, the main event of the year was the Primatial visit of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ to Astana.
His Eminence emphasized that the priority areas of activity of the Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan have always been and remain the strengthening of interaction and cooperation between church institutions, state bodies, traditional confessions, public organizations and diplomatic missions for the sake of preserving enduring spiritual and moral values, affirming interreligious peace and interethnic harmony. Metropolitan Alexander highlighted the unifying role of the President of the Republic, K.–Zh.K. Tokayev, in the development of state–religious and interfaith dialogue in Kazakhstan, noting his particular attention to the spiritual and moral condition of society and especially of the younger generation.
The Head of the Metropolitan District shared his warm memories of pilgrimages to the holy sites of Iberia (Georgia) and of meetings with His Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos–Patriarch of All Georgia. The Metropolitan spoke about a special holy object donated by His Beatitude to the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District – a replica of the Cross of Saint Nino Equal–to–the–Apostles, which is kept in the Ascension Cathedral of Almaty and brought out for veneration on major feast days.
His Eminence offered a brief historical overview of Orthodoxy in Kazakhstan, noting that one of his predecessors on the episcopal see, from 1906 to 1912, was Bishop Dimitry (Abashidze) of Turkestan and Tashkent, glorified in the rank of saints as the Venerable Confessor, Schema–Archbishop Anthony.
During the conversation the sides also discussed the development of pilgrimages of Kazakhstani faithful to the holy places of Georgia, along with other matters of mutual interest.
At the conclusion of the cordial meeting, both sides exchanged good wishes for success in their undertakings. Metropolitan Alexander presented the Ambassador with an icon of the Venerable Confessor Sebastian of Karaganda and a selection of publications of the Metropolitan District.
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