Metropolitan Alexander met with the newly appointed Consul General of the Republic of Belarus in Almaty D.V. Meleshkin

27 February 2026. Almaty. A meeting took place at the spiritual, cultural and administrative center of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District named after Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov) between Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan and the newly appointed Consul General of the Republic of Belarus in the Southern Capital, D.V. Meleshkin.

Participating in the meeting were: Secretary of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, member of the Patriarchal Council for the Development of Church Singing and Honored Artist of Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov; Rector of the Almaty Theological Seminary and Head of the Information and Publishing Department of the Metropolitan District, Archpriest Evgeny Ivanov; Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District, Priest Georgy Sidorov; Head of the Metropolitan Protocol Service, Protodeacon Roman Golovin.

The hierarch congratulated Denis Vladimirovich on his appointment and assumption of office as Consul General and wished him blessed success in his responsible diplomatic service. The archpastor noted that Almaty holds special significance for Kazakhstan not only economically and politically, but also as an important spiritual and cultural center of the country.

Metropolitan Alexander acquainted D.V. Meleshkin with the state of affairs in the Metropolitan District, which this year marks several spiritually significant anniversaries, including the 80th anniversary of the return of St Nicholas Cathedral in Almaty to the Orthodox Church, the 25th anniversary of the uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Martyrs Seraphim and Theognost of Almaty, and the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Seraphim–Theognost Hermitage in the Aksai Gorge. The Metropolitan presented statistical data on the number of dioceses, monasteries, parishes and clergy, spoke about the implementation of social and charitable, educational and youth projects and the activities of the Almaty Orthodox Theological Seminary.

The diplomat accepted the archpastor’s invitation to take part in spiritual, educational and cultural events organized by the Almaty Diocese.

During the meeting, an exchange of views took place on a wide range of issues concerning the role of traditional religions in contemporary society. The Head of the Metropolitan District quoted the words of the President of Kazakhstan, K.-J.K. Tokayev, by which the Head of State defined the priorities of public life in the Republic: “Strengthening interethnic harmony is one of the cornerstones of the sustainable development of our country.”

Denis Vladimirovich told the hierarch about his life path and service in the Office of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus, the Ministry of Statistics and Analysis, the Ministry of Economy, as well as his work as Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The interlocutors noted with satisfaction the positive dynamics in the development of Belarusian–Kazakh relations in recent years. The guest informed the archpastor about the initial stage of work of the Consulate General of Belarus in the Southern Capital, the official opening of which took place on 13 January of this year, and shared plans for further strengthening cooperation between the two countries in trade and economic, investment and socio-cultural spheres.

The meeting also discussed a cultural exchange project—tours of Belarusian choral ensembles in Kazakhstan and performances of the Choir of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District under the direction of Honored Artist of Russia O.N. Ovchinnikov in the Republic of Belarus.

In memory of the meeting, the hierarch presented the guest with publications about Orthodoxy in Kazakhstan and his scholarly work, Christianity in Central Asia. Denis Vladimirovich presented Metropolitan Alexander with a landscape painting by a Belarusian artist.

With the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander, Protodeacon Roman Golovin gave the Consul General a tour of the Iveron–Seraphim Monastery. The Belarusian diplomat venerated the many holy objects preserved in the monastery’s St Sophia Cathedral.