The bust of great Kazakh poet and educator Abai was installed in one of the most beautiful districts of Paris, namely in the square of writers and poets, where sculptures of Hugo, Moliere, Baudelaire and Pushkin are located. The opening of the monument was dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s Independence. The mayor’s offices of Paris and Nur-Sultan believe that this bust was the first step in bringing the two capitals closer. The parties intend to sign a special treaty on cooperation.
“I am actually very happy that here, in Paris, in the heart of the 16th arrondissement, in the square of poets, we honor Abai next to Victor Hugo and Aragon. This is a tribute that the city of Paris would like to pay to this great poet, and it is also a reflection of the cooperation that is emerging between Paris and Nur-Sultan, namely in the cultural field, which I am very happy about,” opined Arnaud Ngatcha, Deputy Mayor of Paris, France.
“This contributes to the further rapprochement of the cultures of our two countries. We will also sign a document with the Mayor of Paris on strengthening the social, economic and cultural ties between the two cities,” said Altai Kulginov, Mayor of Nur-Sultan.
Paris became the second French city to commemorate the memory of the Kazakh poet. Five years ago, a bust of the poet appeared in Rennes. In addition, sculptures of Abai were installed in South Korea, Germany, Turkey, Romania and other countries.
Translation by Assem Zhanmukhanova
Editing by Saule Mukhamejanova
