Paying a visit to Kazakhstan to attend the ceremonies for the 13th anniversary of the founding of the capital, Astana and the 70th birthday of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, President Gül completed his program and returned to Turkey.
| Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbayeva | Khan Tent Opening Ceremony |
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President Gül, who is later to meet with some of the regional leaders during his visit, attended the dinner that President Nazarbayev gave for the heads of state visiting Astana on the occasion of both the Eurasia Economic Community Forum and the ceremonies for the 13th anniversary of the founding of Astana.
The President met with President Roza Otunbayeva of Kyrgyzstan as part of his program.
“WE ARE WITH KYRGYZSTAN IN THIS CRITICAL TIME”
Congratulating President Otunbayeva on the referendum held in Kyrgyzstan, President Gül stated that the will of the people had demonstrated itself during the referendum. Underscoring Turkey’s support in this critical period for this country, he hoped that Kyrgyzstan would overcome its problems soon.
OTUNBAYEVA: WE ARE APPRECIATIVE OF TURKEY’S SUPPORT
President Otunbayeva, revealing her appreciation for the support that Turkey had lent to her country during its difficult times, declared that their new constitution created a parliamentary democracy. She further maintained that the events had been costly and had claimed lives. She informed the President that they had established two departments to conduct the studies to reconstruct Osh and Jalalabad, adding that their spiritual wounds would take time to heal.
Announcing that the parliamentary elections would be held on October 10, President Otunbayeva noted that they would take advantage of Turkey’s experiences in parliamentary democracy.
President Gül stressed that Turkey as the CICA term president would work closely with Kyrgyzstan and underlined the significance of stability and security, drawing attention to the importance of the coordination of the aid to be carried out within the framework of the Turkic Council, referring to the fact that the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA) would work closely with Kyrgyzstan.
During the visit, a Kazakh child presented President Gül a photo of them that had been taken during the President’s previous visit to Kazakhstan. The child also gave the President a letter he had written and expressed his pleasure to meet with the President.
OPENING OF KHAN TENT
President Gül, along with President Nazarbayev and the heads of state of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, UAE, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, attended the opening ceremony for Khan Tent, considered the world’s biggest tent, built by a Turkish construction firm. Afterwards, the President attended the dinner given on the occasion of the 70th birthday of President Nazarbayev.
Completing his program in Kazakhstan, the President returned to Ankara.
KHAN TENT
Built by a Turkish construction company covering an area of 106.000 m2, Khan Tent amazes people with its unique architectural style. The tent is 125m high and it has an area of 41.406 m2 for stores as well as a huge area of 34.000 m2 for a parking lot.
Within Khan Tent, there are residences, a five-star hotel, service apartments, shops, a cinema, restaurants, cafes, a mini golf course, a spa, a fitness center, an indoor pool, tide pools and botanical gardens. During the celebration of President Nazarbayev’s birthday, the Kazakh cavaliers, Kazakh dance performers and the world-known Italian tenor, Andrea Bocelli appeared on the stage.
President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan
Born on July 6, 1940 in the village of Chemolgan, Kaskelen District, Almaty region, Nursultan Nazarbayev graduated from the Highest Technical Educational Institution at the Karaganada Metallurgic Works in 1967.
Working at the Karaganda Metallurgical Works from 1960 to 1969, Nazarbayev was later involved in the Party and Komsomol work in Temirtau of the Karaganda region. From 1973 to 1977, he was a secretary of the party committee at the Karaganda Metallurgic Works. He also served as Secretary of the Committee of the Communist Party of the Republic of Kazakhstan (From 1979-1984), as Chairman of the Ministers Council of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (from 1984-1989), as First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan (from 1989-1991), as Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (from February to April, 1990). And he has been the President of the republic of Kazakhstan since 1990. President Nazarbayev has a PhD in Economics.
(Compiled from the official site of the Presidency)
