“The Congress of Leaders of World
and Traditional Religions will continue to make a significant contribution to
strengthening global peace and harmony. Also, Kazakhstan intends to keep
supporting initiatives to promote interreligious and intercivilizational dialogue
as one of the key priorities of our foreign policy. I express my sincere
gratitude to all for participation in the meeting of the Secretariat of the
Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions,” said Maulen
Ashimbayev, the head of the Secretariat of Congress of Leaders of World and
Traditional Religions.
The event brought together 28
delegations from 23 countries, among them are representatives of Islam,
Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Shintoism, as well as other
religions and international organizations. According to the guests, Astana has
long declared itself the spiritual capital of the world, where religious
leaders have been calling all mankind to peace and consolidation for 20 years.
Gathering around one table they show an example of unity and the power of
cohesion.
“When we see acts of terror, it
is important to remind ourselves that we must meet together and show the
importance of peace and to fight with. This congress is a reminder that if we
talk to each other there are better ways to find peace. So, I think the way to
do this is to keep coming together, talking to each other, and finding the way to
becoming one mind, one heart and one future. We have only one future, one
planet and one family. Kazakhstan historically located on the Silk Road, has
been the place where people meet and where different cultures, trade and commerce
have come together over centuries. Now, Astana shows that it continues to be a
place where we meet,” said Samir Somaiya, the president of the Somaiya
Vidyavihar Indology Center.
It is noteworthy that within the
forum, the parties discussed the results of the seventh congress and announced
that the upcoming eighth congress will be held in the autumn of 2025.
