06.07.2021

Honorary Consulate of Kazakhstan opened in Montenegro on the day of the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The opening ceremony of the Honorary Consulate of Kazakhstan was held in Podgorica with the participation of the city authorities, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro and other departments, the public and business circles, diplomats and the media. Speaking at the ceremony, the Mayor of Podgorica, Ivan Vukovich, welcomed the opening of the Kazakh representative office and congratulated Kazakhstanis on the state holiday – the Day of the Capital.

During the ceremony, it was also stressed that the opening of regular direct flights between Nur-Sultan and Podgorica contributed to the development of tourist, business and cultural exchanges. The Mayor expressed interest in establishing twinning ties between the two capitals. The Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Croatia and Montenegro, H.E. Tolezhan Barlybayev, congratulated Mr. Vukovich on the upcoming Montenegro Statehood Day and presented him with a memorable gift in the form of a statuette of the "Golden Man" – a symbol of our country's independence.

It was noted that on the eve of the 15th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our countries (established on July 14, 2006), Kazakh-Montenegrin cooperation has reached a high level. The recent inter-ministerial consultations and the signing of the cooperation program for 2021-2023 contributed to the intensification of cooperation between the foreign ministries of the two countries.

An important step was also the decision of the Montenegrin side to unilaterally grant a temporary visa-free regime for Kazakhstanis. Noting the importance of opening the first representative office of Kazakhstan in the history of bilateral relations in the capital of Montenegro, Ambassador T. Barlybayev congratulated the Honorary Consul, Goran Djukanovic, on his appointment and presented him with a high award – the "Abai Medal" of the International Organization of Turkic Culture, emphasizing his significant personal contribution to the development of bilateral ties and popularization of Kazakh culture in Montenegro.

In turn, G. Djukanovic said that the Honorary Consulate was opened in order to provide operational support and assistance to Kazakhstani citizens, as well as to promote the development of tourist, business and cultural ties, adding that its branch will also be opened on the Montenegrin coast in Budva.

The presentation of Nursultan Nazarbayev's book "The Era of Independence" and a collection of selected works by Abai Kunanbayuly in the Montenegrin language, as well as an exhibition of photographs dedicated to the Day of the capital of Kazakhstan – the city of Nur-Sultan took place within the framework of the ceremony. On the same day, the Kazakh Ambassador held talks with the leadership of the Government and Parliament of Montenegro, the Mayor's Office of Podgorica, as well as his interview with the Montenegrin national television.