A Meeting Between Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan and the Mayor of Almaty E.A. Dosaev Took Place

October 3, 2024. Almaty. A meeting between Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan and the mayor of Almaty, Yerbolat Askarbekovich Dosaev, was held at the city hall of the southern capital.

The city’s chief executive congratulated the Head of the Metropolitan District on the 35th anniversary of his archpastoral consecration. “As the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians in Kazakhstan, you make a tremendous contribution to the preservation and strengthening of public harmony. Under your leadership, the Church has achieved significant successes, including the transformation of the Almaty Theological Seminary, the opening of the spiritual and cultural center named after Metropolitan Joseph, the large-scale restoration of the Ascension Cathedral, as well as the creation of a church and monument to Righteous Prince Alexander Nevsky,” noted the mayor.

The archpastor informed Yerbolat Askarbekovich about the important historical milestone being celebrated by Orthodox Christians in Kazakhstan this year—the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Diocese of Astana and Almaty. Metropolitan Alexander emphasized that a message of congratulations for the occasion had been sent by the President of Kazakhstan, K.-J.K. Tokayev, who noted that “the humanitarian and educational activities of the Metropolitan District contribute valuable input to the development of interfaith dialogue, the strengthening of unity, and the solidarity of our people.”

The Head of the Metropolitan District informed the mayor about the bringing of the relics of the much-venerated Orthodox saint, Blessed Matrona of Moscow, to Kazakhstan with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The hierarch noted that in Astana, more than 20,000 people had venerated the relics over two days, and in Almaty, the flow of pilgrims to the relics has been nearly continuous for four days since September 30.

The mayor of the southern capital informed Metropolitan Alexander about the city’s leadership activities, particularly regarding the implementation of the “Almaty City Development Program until 2025, with medium-term prospects until 2030.” According to Yerbolat Askarbekovich Dosaev, the “Development Program” focuses on seven key areas: a comfortable urban environment, sustainable economic growth, managed urbanization, social resilience and stability, a green city, Almaty as a smart city, and a safe city.

During the meeting, Dosaev discussed the city’s initiatives to develop Almaty’s cultural and tourism sector and the inclusion of religious sites in popular tourist route programs. As the mayor pointed out, the economic development of the metropolis is closely linked to its growing tourist appeal. To support this, Almaty conducts an annual “Tourist Profile” study, which helps better understand the target audience, including their socio-demographic characteristics, the purpose of their visit, and the length of their stay.

The participants of the meeting discussed a wide range of mutually interesting topics. The conversation focused on cooperation between the city administration and the Almaty Diocese in strengthening the spiritual and moral foundations of the citizens’ lives, as well as preserving the city’s cultural and historical heritage.

It was noted that the constructive dialogue between the executive authorities and the leading traditional confessions of the Republic — the Hanafi school of Islam and Orthodox Christianity — has been and remains an essential condition for maintaining interreligious peace and interethnic harmony in the metropolis, which, in turn, serves as one of the key factors in its socio-economic development.

At the conclusion of the meeting, which took place in a cordial atmosphere, Metropolitan Alexander and Yerbolat Askarbekovich exchanged wishes for good health and success in their endeavors.

As a gift to the Head of the Metropolitan District, the mayor presented a painting of an Almaty landscape by the renowned Kazakh artist A.F. Utkina.