Ministries and authorities of the Republic of Kazakhstan put forth great efforts to make the preparation and process of this II International Congress successful.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan (hereinafter - MFA RK) and the foreign offices of the RK conducted purposeful and complex work for the leaders of religions, religious organizations and honored guests to participate in the forum. As a result, the Event was attended by 25 religious leaders (7 of which are representatives of Islam, 7 are representatives of Christianity, 4 representatives of Buddhism, 2 representatives of Judaism, 1 representative of Shintoism, Taoism, Hinduism, and heads of 2 religious organizations) and 14 honored guests from 26 countries of Europe, Americas, Asia, Africa and Middle East. In total, there were 160 participants. For the first time, Astana was visited by delegations from Libya, Thailand, Armenia, South Korea, as well as the heads of other international religious organizations of the USA and Switzerland.

Islam was represented at the Congress by delegations headed by the highest leaders of the religion - Supreme Imam Al Azhara Muhammad Sayed Tantawy (Egypt), Secretary General of World Islamic League Abdallah ben Abdel Mohsen Al-Turki (Saudi Arabia), President of the Muslim Organization "Djamaat-e-Shabab-e-Islam" Salman Al-Hussein Al-Nadvi (India), Ex President of the International Islamic University of Pakistan Mahmood Ahmad Ghazi (Pakistan), Member of Supreme Cultural Council of the IRI Ali Akbar Sadiqi Rashad (Iran), Councillor of the Secretary General of the World Association of Islamic Convocation Ageli Farkhat Almeri (Libya), Head Mufti of Kazakhstan Absattar kazhi Derbisali.

Christianity was represented by delegations headed by Honored President of the Pope's Council of Justice and Peace Roger Etchegeray (Vatican), Metropolitan of Minsk and Slootsk, Exarch Patriarch of Byelorussia Filaret (Russia), Constantinople Patriarch of the Orthodox Church Bartholomew I (Turkey), Bishop Nicolas Banes (Anglican Church, UK), Head Patriarch and Catholicos of All the Armenians Garegin II (Armenia) and Secretary General of the Lutheran World Federation Doctors Ishmael Noco.

Buddhism was represented by the delegation headed by Deputy Chairman of the All China Association of Buddhists Jia Mu Nian (China), Head of Buddhist Center Demberel Choizhamts (Mongoli) and Rector of the University Mahachulalongkornradjvidyalay Pra Darmokosadjarn (Thailand).

Judaism was represented by the delegation headed by Rabbi General of Ashkenaz of Israel - Jonah Metzger, Rabbi General of Sefard of Israel - Shlomo Amar, Shintoism - the delegation headed by the Board Chairman of the Association of Shinto Temples Kuni Kuniaki (Japan), Taoism - the delegation headed by Deputy Head of the Administration of Religious Relations Jian Jianiun (China), Hinduism - by the delegation headed by world famous theology scientist Shantilal Somaya. Religious organizations - the Head of the Program of the World Council of Churches on Issues of the Middle East - Michelle Nseir (Switzerland) and the President of National Council of Churches Michael Livingstone (USA).

The Honored Guests of the Forum were such famous politicians, heads of international organizations, states and governments as Sergey Ordzhonikidze - Director General of the Geneva UN Office, Koichiro Matsuura - UNESCO Director General, Mahathir Mohammad - Ex Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahmud Zakzuk - Minister of Wakufs of Egypt, Alejo Vidal Cuadras Roca - 1^st Vice President of the European Parliament, Rene van der Linden - Chairman of the Parliamentary Assemble of the European Council, Staf Nimmegeers - 1^st Deputy Chairman of the Senate of the Kingdom of Belgium, Kim Won Ki - the Deputy of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, Ex Speaker Emery de Montescu - Senator of the French Republic and others.

Besides the participants and the guests, the Congress was attended by the deputies of the two Chambers of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, members of the Government of Kazakhstan, representatives of the Assembly of Nations of Kazakhstan, Diplomat Corps accredited in Kazakhstan.

The Congress was greeted by heads of states and international organizations: the UN Secretary General Coffi Annan, President of France Jacque Chirac, ex President of Turkey Suleymen Demirel, ex Presidents of the USA  Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, Ex President of France Gescar d'Esten, ex President of the Czech Republic Vatslav Gavel, Prime Minister of Turkey Rejep Erdogan, Prime Minister of Spain Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Ex Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schroeder, and high hierarchs of different Churches - the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexis II, the Arch Bishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams,  the President of the Japanese Buddhist Association Ko Yasuhara and others.

President of our country Nursultan Nazarbayev as the Head of State and politician, in full measure realizing the increased role of the religion in the society, put forward the initiative of holding a forum of world and traditional religions in the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan - city of Astana. Earlier the organizers of similar events were only representatives of leading religions and denominations. Among other similar events aimed at establishing interdenominational dialogue were the meetings of representatives of world religions and denominations held in Italian city Assisi in October 1986 and January 2002. 

By the idea of the President of Kazakhstan the dialogue between the leaders of world and traditional religions formed on common aspects and exact information on each other opens wide prospects for mutual cooperation and contributes to overcoming such negative manifestations of our time as violence, fanaticism, extremism and terrorism. The dialogue of the religions as the conceptual idea of the First Congress and means of disputes settling was opposed to methods of violence and terror in the interdenominational and interethnic relations.

The aim of the First Congress was search of universal guidelines in world and traditional forms of the religion, creation of permanent international interdenominational institute for realizing the religious dialogue and accepting coordinated decisions.

Main priorities of the I Congress:

- statement of peace, concord and tolerance as stable principles of human existence;
- achievement of mutual respect and tolerance between religions, confessions, nations and ethnoses;
- oppositions to trials to use religious senses of people for escalation of conflicts and military actions.

Political tasks of the I Congress:

-  strengthening of traditions of interfaith and interconfessional dialogue in form of interfaith congresses;
- establishment of continuously acting agency of the Congress for coordinated, objective and competent preparation of ideology and concept of future congresses;
- establishment of Secretariat of the Congress located in the Republic of Kazakhstan.     

The following theses were defined as the subject of the Congress:

-  every human shall have possibility to follow its religious views;
- religious postulates and differences between religions shall not be used to justify violence, cause hate and discord;

Dear leaders and representatives of World and national traditional religions!

Today the ancient Kazakh land is honored to gather the leaders and high representatives of World and national traditional religions from around the globe to engage in dialogue between civilizations and religions.

Greeting you on Kazakhstan's land, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you for responding to our invitation and gathering here together.

I am grateful to our superior Muslim persons such as Supreme Imam Al Azhar Sheik Muhammad Sayed Tantawy, Secretary-General of World Islamic League Sheik Abdullah bin Abdul Mohsin Al-Turki and representatives of other Muslim organizations. We highly appreciate your participation in the Congress.

I express my deep gratitude to His Holiness Roman Pope John Paul II for his high attention and support to the Congress.

I am grateful to His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexis II for his support to our Congress.
I would like to thank the leaders of Judaism, first of all, Jonah Metzger, for their participation in the Congress at high level.