An official opening ceremony of the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Slovakia, the first after a long break, took place on. Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko, Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Slovakia Tolezhan Barlybaev, leadership of the Banska Bystrica region, representatives of the public, business, scientific and cultural circles, journalists and diplomats attended the event, El.kz cites MFA.
Addressing the guests of the ceremony, Vassilenko noted that the opening of the Honorary Consulate is timed to the Independence Day of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and Slovakia (January 1, 1993).
The Deputy Minister emphasized the importance of the opening of a Kazakh Honorary Consulate in Banska Bystrica, a major financial, scientific, educational and tourist center in Slovakia, where the National Bank of the Slovak Republic and international financial companies, leading universities and research institutes of the country are located. It was no coincidence the opening ceremony of the honorary consulate was attended by President of the Conference of Rectors of Slovakia – Rector of the Technical University in Zvolen Rudolf Kropil, major Slovak business people in the fields of construction, industry, medicine and others.
Introducing Tibor Lebocky, the new Honorary Consul of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a well-known public figure and President of the Slovak Hunting Chamber, the Kazakh diplomat expressed that the activities of the Consulate would contribute to the development and strengthening of the Kazakh-Slovak cooperation in areas such as culture, science, education, economy and trade. The top priority of the Kazakh consulate is the protection of the rights of and the provision of assistance to Kazakh citizens abroad.
Vassilenko informed the participants of the event about political events in Kazakhstan, emphasizing that the results of the recent presidential elections became evidence of the public support to the course of reforms of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, a symbol of political maturity of the Kazakh society and the pledge of further promotion of large-scale state transformations. He noted the people of Kazakhstan met the Independence Day with optimism and faith in the future.
On the eve of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Deputy Minister summarized the dynamic, progressive development of Kazakh-Slovak cooperation, noting the opening of the Honorary Consulate of Kazakhstan in Slovakia, the first after a long break, is another important step in strengthening the traditionally friendly bilateral relations.
In turn, the newly appointed Honorary Consul thanked the Kazakh side for the trust and assured of his readiness to actively participate in further strengthening trade and economic relations, building up business contacts between representatives of the business circles of the two countries, as well as developing cultural and humanitarian ties.
As part of the event, with the support of the Ayalagan Alaqan Public Charitable Foundation, an exhibition of drawings by Kazakh children with disabilities title The World through the Eyes of Children, as well as a photo exhibition “Kazakhstan: Striving for the Future” were organized. Guests of the ceremony also received books about the nature and culture of Kazakhstan.