The Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan met with the Akmola Region Akim M.M. Akhmetzhanov

April 8, 2025. Kokshetau. The Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, met with the Akmola Region Akim M.M. Akhmetzhanov in the regional administration.

The meeting was attended by: Orthodox Church was represented by Archbishop Varsonofy of Kokshetau and Akmola and Secretary of the Kokshetau Diocesan Administration, Dean of the Resurrection Cathedral Priest Valery Anferov; on the side of secular government participated: Deputy Akim of the Akmola Region D.E. Aitbayev; Head of the Internal Policy Department of the Region G.T. Karimova; Head of the Religious Affairs Department of the Akmola Region Akimat B.N. Kasenov.

In his greeting, the akim warmly thanked Metropolitan Alexander for his visit to the region and special attention to the life of Orthodox believers in the Akmola region. Marat Muratovich noted that a constructive dialogue between the executive power and the leading traditional confessions of the Republic - Islam of the Hanafi madhhab and Orthodox Christianity - was and remains an indispensable condition for maintaining interreligious peace and interethnic harmony in the region.

Metropolitan Alexander, as the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, introduced the new administrator of the Kokshetau diocese to his interlocutor - Archbishop Varsonofy, appointed to the chair by the decision of the Holy Synod on March 20, 2025 (Journal No. 7).

The Metropolitan Bishop expressed hope for the further development of constructive relations between the secular and church authorities in the region, which will serve to strengthen brotherly love and mutual respect between representatives of different nations and followers of different religions and will become the key to preserving traditional spiritual and moral values in society.

During the conversation, the head of the region acquainted Metropolitan Alexander and Archbishop Varsonofy with the life of the region - the main breadbasket of the country, noting the positive dynamics of economic growth. The Akim told the hierarchs about the work currently being carried out to prevent spring floods in the region. According to the head of the region, protective dams have been strengthened in particularly vulnerable settlements of the region, control over water drainage has been strengthened, and emergency services have been prepared for possible deterioration of the situation.

The head of the Metropolitan District informed the Akim about the life of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, which is celebrating the 15th anniversary of the establishment of its canonical and legal status this year, and the upcoming Primate's visit to the country of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', who will arrive in Astana at the invitation of the head of state K.-Zh.K. Tokayev to participate in the VIII Congress of World and Traditional Religions.

Metropolitan Alexander noted that the program of the Primate's visit includes a visit to the place of exploits and the painful death of the new martyrs of the Church of Christ and the mass burial of prisoners of the Akmola camp for the wives of traitors to the Motherland - "ALZHIR" in the Tselinograd district of the Akmola region. The hierarch emphasized that His Holiness will perform a prayer service in the Church of the Akmola New Martyrs and consecrate the foundation stone for the memorial complex in honor of the innocent martyrs for the faith. The interlocutors discussed the plan for the improvement of the adjacent territory and the repair of the roadway leading to the memorial church.

His Eminence Metropolitan, Archbishop Varsonofy and the head of the region discussed a wide range of issues related to the interaction between the Kokshetau Diocese of the Metropolitan District and the administration of the Akmola Region. The conversation was about preparations for holding state and public events dedicated to a significant historical date - the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

Archbishop Varsonofy told M.M. Akhmetzhanov about his life path, church service in Adygea and Donetsk. "I never thought that the Lord would deign to find me here, on the land of Kazakhstan, washed in the blood of new martyrs and adorned with the feats of confessors of the faith. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill blessed me to serve within the Metropolitan District, warning that the heritage of this ancient land is interfaith peace and interethnic harmony, and it is necessary to make every effort to strengthen and preserve it. I accepted this will of God with joy and so I arrived here, in the Akmola region - the granary of the country, to tirelessly work for the glory of holy Orthodoxy, for the good and benefit of the people of Kazakhstan," the newly appointed bishop said, in particular. At the end of the meeting, the interlocutors exchanged good wishes and memorable gifts.