His Eminence, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Prof. Ahmad at-Tayyeb, received Ambassador Askar Jenis, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Cairo, at al-Azhar Headquarters. The meeting addressed ways to enhance academic and cultural cooperation and reviewed joint efforts to promote dialogue and global peace.
Notably, the Grand Imam affirmed the strong ties between al-Azhar and Kazakhstan, highlighting that al-Azhar currently hosts 207 Kazakh students across its various educational stages, an indication of the Kazakh people’s confidence in al-Azhar’s academic and humanitarian mission. He further emphasized that al-Azhar’s doors are always open to the people of Kazakhstan. The Grand Imam also pointed out that al-Azhar International Academy for Training Imams and Preachers regularly receives delegations of Kazakh imams for intensive training programs designed to refute extremist ideology and promote positive coexistence and human fraternity.
During the meeting, the Kazakh ambassador conveyed President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s renewed invitation to the Grand Imam to visit Kazakhstan and attend the opening of the “Leaders of World and Traditional Religions” Summit. He emphasized that the participation of the Grand Imam of al-Azhar would serve as a strong endorsement of the message of dialogue and coexistence. The ambassador also expressed his country’s deep appreciation for al-Azhar’s efforts in promoting the true teachings of religion, supporting international students, and providing annual scholarships to the people of Kazakhstan.
At the conclusion of the meeting, His Eminence the Grand Imam and the Kazakh ambassador commended the deep historical ties between al-Azhar and Kazakhstan. They reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening these relations and to benefiting from al-Azhar’s academic, religious, and cultural expertise in ways that support Kazakh students and researchers, while also enhancing efforts to promote the values of tolerance and dialogue among peoples.
