Solidarity and unity of peoples are of priority importance for the development and prosperity of every independent country. For independent Kazakhstan, as a state of peace and harmony, maintaining and developing friendly and warm relationships between the peoples inhabiting the territory of the country, who have the same common national interests and goals, is also the main direction of state policy. One of the main directions for the growth and prosperity of Kazakhstan is the harmonious development of interethnic relations and the preservation of social harmony within the country.

   The Kazakh people have always been distinguished by their hospitality. Over the centuries, Kazakhs have developed a special attitude towards travelers and invited guests. The Kazakh people always welcomed guests with open arms, giving them all due honors. Therefore, as is known from history, the Kazakhs showed special care and helped the ethnic groups who migrated to Kazakhstan in the past.

    It is the duty of every citizen to maintain peace in our country and maintain inter-ethnic unity. That is why in educational institutions of our country, in order to maintain interethnic friendship, various events are held aimed at improving and developing relations between local and foreign students.

    In this regard, on October 14, 2023, an online meeting was held at the Faculty of Oriental Studies of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University on the topic “Acquaintance with the Kazakh national cultural heritage and cultures of the countries of foreign university students.” The event was attended by teachers and students of the Far East Department.

    During the meeting, opinions were expressed on the importance of interethnic and intercultural relations in modern times. Students from each group demonstrated pre-prepared presentations about the culture of their countries. Among them, 4th-year student of the Department of Korean Studies Pak Liya shared her experience of studying in South Korea and spoke about the features of Korean traditional culture. Artem Stepanov, a 1st-year student at the Department of Japanese Studies, spoke about the culture of the Republic of Sakha and emphasized the similarities between the Kazakh and Yakut languages. He spoke in detail about the language, religion, traditions and customs of Yakutia. Also, 1st-year student Ilya Naumov, who came from the Republic of Chuvashia, spoke about his homeland, the life and culture of the Chuvash people. In addition, in his presentation, Ilya shared valuable information about Russian literature. Nadira Mambetova, a 3rd year student of the Korean Studies department, spoke about the various sights of our vast country, showed slides with beautiful views and landscapes of various famous places in Kazakhstan.

    Thanks to this event, students of the Far East department had the opportunity to get acquainted with the culture of different peoples, and at the end ask the participants questions that interested them. Also, acquaintance with the Kazakh land, language, and culture made a special impression on foreign students.

Department of the Far East

The head of the department of Korean studies Zhakhanova Z.A.

The head of the department of Japanese studies, Tazabekova G.B.