Words Veeramalla Anjaiah Photos Courtesy of Embassy of Kazakhstan
JakartaKazakhstan citizens in Indonesia joyfully celebrated the 20th
anniversary of Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan, in Jakarta on Wednesday
at Hotel Borobudur in Jakarta.
Astana, one of the youngest cities
in the world, is a beautiful and modern city in Central Asia. It took just 10
years for world famous architects like Norman Foster and many others to built
such a marvelous city. With a population of more than one million people,
Astana has been growing very rapidly, as is evident from the tremendous growth
in its gross domestic product (GDP).
According to The Astana Times, the GDP of Astana city has gone up to US$16
billion in 2017 from just $3.2 billion in 2007, a record jump of more than 500
percent.
With modern buildings and beautiful
towers like the Presidential Palace, Golden Towers, Singing Fountains, Bayterek
Tower, Nur-Astana Mosque, Opera House and the tent shaped Khan Shatyr shopping
mall, Astana is a very interesting place to visit.
Kazakhstan and the people of Astana
are proud about the growth of Astana.
“Astana is the creation of the whole
Kazakhstan. We have created a miracle in the 21th century. In the history of
manking, no such city has been built in 20 years. But we did it! Kazakhstan
President Nursultan Nazarbayev said recently in Astana.
Echoing a similar view Kazakhstan
Ambassador to Indonesia Askhat Orazbay, said Astana was not just a capital city
but a point of pride for all Kazakhstan people.
“Astana is not only a dynamically
developing megapolis with eye-catching architecture, it is the sacred center of
the country, our pride and the result of the efforts of the entire nation,”
Ambassador Orazbay said at a reception to celebrate Astana’s 20th
anniversary.
Amazing Astana, in a short period of
time, has emerged as major hub for diplomatic, economic and cultural
activities.
In 2010, Astana according to
Orazbay, became the host of the historic summit of the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe. Last year, Astana hosted the world’s biggest
trade exhibition called Expo 22017. It also hosted the first Summit of the Organization
of Islamci Cooperation (OIC) on Science and Technology and adopted a
forward-looking document – the Astana Declaration on Science, Technology, Innovation
and Modernization in the Islamic World, Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla
attended the OIC Summit in Astana.
According to Orazbay, Astana was
awarded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) in 1999 the title “City of Peace”.
“Astana has been the host to nine
rounds of Syrian peace talks, which began last year. All the parties involved
in the conflict guarantors and international organizations are involved in the
these talks, which are aimed at ending the conflict in Syria,” Orazbay told The
Jakarta Post.
Kazakhstan is also currently a
nonpermanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
As a peace loving country, Kazakhstan
launched a new initiative called the Congress of leaders of World and
Traditional Religions in Astana several years back with the exclusive aim of
promoting peace and harmony in the world.
Astana, Orzabay said, would host the
VI Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions from Oct 10-11 with the
theme of “Religious leaders for a safe world”.[Sources: The Jakarta Post,
Friday, July 20, 2018]