Dear participants,

I am happy to greet participants of the sixth meeting of the Secretariat of the Session of the global and traditional religions' leaders in Astana, in the Palace of Peace and Harmony, which has specially been constructed for holding the meetings of religious officials.

We consider the fact that you have agreed for the initiative to hold such an important activity in our capital as admission of the role and positive experience of Kazakhstan in the inter-confession dialogue.

Using this opportunity, I want to congratulate all Moslems on the start of the holy month of Ramadan!

As you know, the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev is the author of the idea to have the inter-religious dialogue at the high level, which has come true in 2003 when the First Session of the global and traditional religions' leaders took place.

Timeliness, importance and constructive dialogue have become the key to the success of the forum, which has immediately drawn attention of the whole global community. The Session has received support from the prominent religious officials and politicians. We consider this step as the admission of the significant contribution of the forum into establishment of the dialogue between religions and cultures, the share of the opinions on the issues, which are important for all people in the world.

Those days many people noted that the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana had become a spiritual capital of the whole world for a few days and it was really the case. The messages from the heads of large international organizations and leading countries of the world expressly stated that interaction could bring harmony and stability to our planet. 

The Second Session of the leaders of global and traditional religions held in the same Palace in 2006 was even more representative and successful.

Today we can say with certainty that this initiative continues to confirm its necessity. In the past period the meaning of the inter-religious dialogue in the name of peaceful and worthy life of people has only increased.

The conflict potential of the modern international community, sometimes called the clash of civilizations, means the complicated bunch of contradictions caused mainly by the globalization processes. The information flows, as a result of globalization, sometimes ruthlessly invade the spiritual area of the community and the private life of every person. Stable ideas of morale, religious and family values are being transformed. Development of science and new technologies had reached the high level and this also has impact on the moral and ethical aspects of the activity of the mankind.

President Nursultan Nazarbayev, when making speech at the Second Session of the leaders of global and traditional religions, gave the exact assessment of the influence of globalization on the human life, having noted that "the vast majorities of different cultures and religions have direct interaction. Everything has mixed - migration, television and cultural models. Only refusal from violence at the level of the religious doctrine, at the level of media facilities and at the level of political activity is the actual base for survival in the modern world".

We are deeply convinced that there must be no global unification. Each community is unique and each country has a right to make its own choice of the development.

Unfortunately, political and public mechanisms for going out of this situation turned out to be not very efficient.

Contradictions, conflicts and wars of the modern world, most of which are based on religious or ethnic reasons,  more vividly require the establishment of the culture of dialogue and cooperation as the ethical basis for international policy. I am sure that the basis of these principles must be moral and ethical values, one of the most important sources of which in all the times has been religion. Today its main postulate about the human attitude to people is very important for the creation of the tolerant world.

The global community has admitted that the Session of the leaders of global and traditional religions in Astana makes significant contribution into overcoming of inter-confession contradictions, search for the efficient tools of cultural and spiritual cooperation.

Apart from its direct inter-confession meaning, the Session is also an important and efficient international political tool aimed at strengthening of peace and stability on the planet, joining the efforts of political and religious officials to bring civilizations, nations and countries closer to each other.

I am certain that by means of joint efforts we can turn our forum not only to the major platform for the global inter-confession dialogue but to the universal tribune for the constructive dialogue on the important issues of the modern world. 

As you know, in the Declaration adopted as a result of the Second Session of the global and traditional religions' leaders, the participants have called international and regional organizations, states and governments in the whole world to provide active support to the dialogue of civilizations, to make constant efforts aimed at strengthening the peace culture.

The head of our country having responded to this appeal has proposed the initiative to declare year 2010 as "The International Year for Bringing Cultures and Religions Together". This issue is currently under consideration by UNESCO and after we get its support we intend to make the proposal to adopt the respective resolution at the UN General Assembly. These steps are also announced with the decision of the Session "to draw attention of UN GA at the conceptual and practical role of the Session in promoting the dialogue between civilizations, cultures and religions..."

Based on the decision of the participants of the Session "to encourage the dissemination of inter-religious tolerance amongst the young people and their dynamic perception of common human values", we have arranged lectures of the religious officials in this Palace of Peace and Harmony. We have already had lectures of Cardinal Theodor Edgar McKerick, Archbishop Washington, Roman Catholic Church, Dr. Homi Dhalla, President of the World Council of Cultural Heritage of Indian Zarathustra, Metropolitan of Bulgarian Orthodox Church Cyril. We expect lectures from other spiritual officials and religion scientists including those who are present in this hall.

Spiritual, moral and humanitarian education is the joint task for a state and the religious unions. Such measures will let prevent ethical and religious conflicts, as well as overcome other social diseases of the society.

In order to bring to life the decision of the Session "on taking specific actions for the stimulation of the positive perception and coverage of inter-religious relations through joint meetings, seminars, speeches in mass media, use of Internet and other means", we launched the "religious hour program on Kazakh television under the name of "Kumbez" (dome). During the programs, which are made in this building, Kazakh spiritual leaders and religion scientists answer numerous questions of TV watchers.

The Government of Kazakhstan also implements work on the establishment of the International Centre of Cultures and Religions.

As you can see, activities did not stop in the period between the sessions and we make efforts to implement the decisions of the Second Session.

We declare about the readiness to support the initiatives aimed at achieving harmonic development of the human community, bringing the East and West closer in understanding of the key issues of the modern peacemaking.

On 20-23 June the Fourteenth Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Orthodoxy Assembly was held in Astana with the participation of the members of the Parliament and experts from 15 countries of the world. Recently in this building we had the international scientific conference "Islamic Civilization in Central Asia", in which 120 representatives of different religious unions, international organizations, scientists, religion scientists and experts from 21 countries of the world took part.

In October Kazakh delegation will participate in the International Meeting for Peace, which is held on the initiative of the Society of Saint Aecidium in Napoli.

This year, as the Head of the Secretariat of the Session of Global and Traditional Religions I plan to take part in the "West-East" Dialogue under aegis of the Spanish Institute "Casa Asia" in Barcelona.

We have received invitation for cooperation from the "Alliance of Civilizations".

For the citizens of Kazakhstan tolerance is not academic but practical notion. Respect, tolerance and unity are the strong tripod that secures success and prosperity of Kazakhstan and they are the basis for the stability of our state.

Things that in some countries are the reasons for social tension and sometimes conflicts are, on the contrary, the key to strength and success for us.

Thanks to wise and long-term policy of our President we have managed to preserve peace and harmony. After Kazakhstan gained its independence our country conducts sound state policy in the area of inter-religious relations.

Kazakhstan strives to show that peace and harmony between nations and religions are quite achievable - only trust, tolerance and will for the dialogue are necessary for this.

In this regard I want to quote former President of Iran Mohammed Hatami, the author of the global initiative "Dialogue of Civilizations", who said: "It is justified that the dialogue between religions is taking place on the land of Kazakhstan where people of different nationalities and religions live and create".

In the modern world religious extremism and terrorism are often used as the ideological weapon and the reason for military confrontation. That is why we are firmly convinced that in order to get rid of the destructive terrorism ideology and to establish human values of humanism the whole world must act as one front.

For thousands of years religion was making souls of people noble and very often it was the only saving factor in this complicated world.

That's why I ask you to continue the joint work on overcoming conflicts between religions and understanding the responsibility for future peaceful coexistence of the people in the world.

Today we have gathered here to define the subject and agenda of the forthcoming Third Session, which by the unanimous decision of the participants of the Second Session will be held again in Astana in 2009. We must approve the composition of the Working Group and elaborate the plan for joint work.

I hope for constructive and fruitful joint work.

Thank you.

18 September 2007, Astana