Moscow Delegation Visits Almaty

The XI Kazakhstan International Book and Printing Exhibition “Along the Great Silk Road” was held in Almaty from November 21 to 27, 2023. The Russian delegation included representatives from the Department for External Economic and International Relations of Moscow, the Department of Mass Media, the Moscow House of Compatriots, the Moscow Center for International Cooperation, as well as Moscow-based publishing houses.

The Russian capital was represented at the exhibition with the “Moscow Book Fair” media exposition. The stand’s opening ceremony was attended by Dmitry Turaev, Consul General of the Russian Federation in Almaty. In his speech, he emphasized Moscow’s efforts to promote Russian language and culture among the population of Kazakhstan.

The “Moscow Book Fair” exposition was visited during the exhibition by Tagat Yeshenkulov, Vice Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Jiang Wei, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Almaty; and representatives of Almaty’s municipal authorities.

Visitors to the stand were introduced to fiction and educational literature in Russian and foreign languages, part of the publishing program of the Government of Moscow. It was noted that after the exhibition, the books displayed would be donated to the libraries of Kazakh educational institutions where Russian is taught.

As part of the book fair, as well as at the private Russian-language “Lake View School,” creative meetings were held for students learning Russian with children’s writer Anna Goncharova, a member of the Russian Writers’ Union. The children had the opportunity to interact with the author of the popular book series about raccoons, “Yeni and Yeli,” which further strengthened their interest in Russian literature and language learning.

In addition to participating in the exhibition, the Moscow delegation held a working meeting with Consul General Dmitry Turaev and conducted a roundtable discussion with Russian compatriots living in Kazakhstan. Alongside topics such as promoting Russian culture in Kazakhstan and supporting teachers of Russian language and literature, the meetings addressed plans for cultural events, including Christmas and Easter festivals, a Russian language festival, and the production of a film about Russian veterans residing in Kazakhstan.

During their visit, members of the Moscow delegation also toured the under-construction Church of the Icon of the Mother of God in Almaty and met with Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan. The meeting resulted in agreements on support from the Department for External Economic and International Relations of Moscow for the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan as centers for uniting Russian compatriots abroad. The parties discussed potential assistance in equipping the church and outfitting the gymnasium school affiliated with it.