UAE Minister of Justice Hadef Jaw'an al-Zahiri, as well as UAE Religious Affairs Advisor to the President of the UAE, Said Al Hashimi, who attended the event as guests of honor on behalf of the Emirate Government, noted the existing relations between Kazakhstan and the UAE based on mutual respect and cooperation. In addition, the reception was attended by the heads of diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited in the UAE, authoritative public figures, heads of various companies, representatives of the print and electronic media of the host country, as well as Kazakhstanis working and studying in the United Arab Emirates.
The guests were presented with a photo exhibition prepared by the Embassy of Kazakhstan and telling about the development of Kazakh-Emirate bilateral relations, political, economic, cultural and humanitarian life of the country. The epicenter of the event and the main exposition of the reception was the Kazakh yurt, which was provided by Kazakhstani businessmen working in the UAE.
Installed in the center of the main hall of the hotel and decorated in accordance with Kazakh national traditions, the yurt aroused genuine interest among the invited guests. Another yurt, but in the context, was installed in the center of the main reception hall and served as an excellent decoration for the festive tables with national Kazakh dishes prepared by the spouses of the employees of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the UAE. The guests were invited to taste such dishes of Kazakh national cuisine as manti, pilaf, chak-chak, kurt, baursaki, etc. Along with the exhibition, invited guests could watch a specific film about Kazakh-Emirate relations, broadcast on large screens in the hall.
Specifically for reception by the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the UAE, information and reference materials about the Republic of Kazakhstan were prepared, which were presented to each guest. The festively decorated set included a wall calendar for 2009 with images of the city of Astana and the nature of Kazakhstan, as well as a special folder with three glossy magazines telling about the economic, political and cultural development of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Also, a disc with the film ”In the Heart of Eurasia” was included in each folder.
The official part of the reception began with the playing of the national anthem of the United Arab Emirates and the anthem of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In a gala speech on the occasion of Kazakhstan Independence Day, Ambassador Askar Musinov noted that 2008 was a continuation of fruitful cooperation between the UAE and Kazakhstan. The most important event of the year was the official visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan of the President of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan in July 2008.
According to Askar Musinov, bilateral summits became a catalyst for the adoption of important decisions, including the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in order to agree on the conditions for exploration and development of the N block located on the Caspian shelf between KazMunayGas NK JSC (Republic of Kazakhstan) , ConocoPhillips (USA) and the state-owned Mubadala Development Company (UAE). In addition, on behalf of the heads of state, the Falah joint investment fund was created in 2008, and work continues on the implementation of investment KTA multifunctional complex "Abu Dhabi Plaza" in Astana, as well as to a number of other bilateral projects.
On behalf of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Ambassador Askar Musinov thanked the Emirate leadership for the decision to build the largest mosque in the South Kazakhstan region, designed for 5 thousand people and the modern Perinatal Center. Askar Musinov also highlighted the dynamics of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the UAE in the political sphere. In October 2008, the UAE became a full member of the CICA organization, the idea of creating which was initiated by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev.
In addition, in October 2008, an emirate delegation led by Minister of Culture Abudrahman al-Weiss took part in the work of the International Forum “Common Peace: Progress through Diversity”, which was held in Astana. The guests present at the reception were informed about the active development of relations between the business community and the regions of the two countries. The opening of direct flights between Abu Dhabi and Almaty by Etihad was particularly noted. It is noteworthy that on the instructions of the President of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the first flight on the route was completed on December 2, on UAE National Day.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the UAE noted the contribution of Kazakhstani businessmen working in the UAE to the reception at a high level. Thanks to them, assistance was provided for the delivery of a yurt from Kazakhstan to the UAE.
In addition, the ambassador expressed gratitude for the support provided to sponsors - the national air carrier of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Air Astana, and the emirate's representative office of the national company KazMunayGas. At the end of the speech, the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the UAE once again thanked all the guests for the invitation and congratulated those present on the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays, wishing peace and prosperity to the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Information provided by the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the UAE.
