15 April 2026. Alma-Ata. At the invitation of the leadership of the diplomatic mission of the Republic of Belarus in the Republic of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan visited the official opening of the Consulate General of Belarus in the Southern Capital.
The hierarch was accompanied by: Secretary of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation and member of the Patriarchal Council for the Development of Russian Church Singing O.N. Ovchinnikov, and Head of the Metropolitan’s Protocol Service Protodeacon Roman Golovin.
The Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan was welcomed by: Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus M.V. Ryzhenkov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Republic of Kazakhstan A.I. Bogdanov, Consul General of the Republic of Belarus in Alma-Ata D.V. Meleshkin, and Consul General of the Russian Federation in Alma-Ata D.A. Turaev.
The honor of cutting the ceremonial red ribbon was given to Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus M.V. Ryzhenkov and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan E.B. Konuspayev.
M.V. Ryzhenkov noted:
“Our countries’ relations have never ceased; however, the opening of the Consulate General in Almaty will make it possible to raise them to a new level. The main goals of the Consulate General will be the strengthening of friendly relations between the peoples of Belarus and Kazakhstan and the intensification of trade and economic cooperation.”
In turn, E.B. Konuspayev emphasized that the opening of the Belarusian Consulate General is a highly important and major event both for the city of Alma-Ata and for Kazakhstan as a whole.
“This is not merely a diplomatic step. Our heads of state have always said that today there are no unresolved problems in bilateral relations between our countries, nor any that could not be resolved. What will the focus be? On the development of interregional cooperation. And today’s event, the opening of the Consulate General, I believe, will fully correspond to this objective. We place great hopes on this,” the deputy minister stressed.
Following the traditional ceremony, and at the request of the leadership of the Belarusian diplomatic mission, the Head of the Metropolitan District consecrated the newly opened consulate: he read the appointed prayers and sprinkled the premises with holy water. As a blessing for their labors, the archpastor presented the Consul General with a Feodorovskaya Icon of the Queen of Heaven.
Among the distinguished guests present at the opening and consecration of the consulate were: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Republic of Belarus T.M. Zhaksylykov, Head of the Representative Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan in Alma-Ata Zh.Zh. Abdrashov, Deputy Head of the Main Directorate for Europe of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus D.S. Gil, and Head of the Main Directorate for CIS Affairs of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry A.S. Strachko.
At the conclusion of the consecration, Metropolitan Alexander congratulated those gathered on the feast of Holy Easter and wished D.V. Meleshkin and the staff of the Belarusian consulate in the Southern Capital blessed success and God’s help in strengthening friendly relations between Kazakhstan and Belarus.
During the ensuing conversation, special note was made of the important role of Orthodoxy in the spiritual and cultural life of the Kazakh and Belarusian peoples, as well as the contribution of hierarchs and clergy to strengthening and developing multifaceted ties among the countries of the CIS.
The participants in the meeting also spoke about the unique model of interethnic peace and interreligious harmony that has taken shape in Kazakhstan, which today should serve as a good example for those countries where conflicts arise on ethnic or religious grounds.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus M.V. Ryzhenkov shared with the archpastor his favorable impressions from visiting the Ascension Cathedral. The metropolitan told the guest about the details of the large-scale professional restoration of the church carried out in 2017–2020. It was noted that all work was performed under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Kazakhstan and UNESCO, with the participation of highly qualified specialists from Kazakhstan, Russia, Serbia, Italy, Germany, and France.
The hierarch emphasized that President K.-J.K. Tokayev described this monumental project as the “second birth of a national shrine of all Kazakhstan.”
An exchange of views then took place on matters of mutual interest.
At the conclusion of the meeting, a formal reception was held at the Rixos Almaty Hotel.
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