Ex-president Nazarbayev makes public appearance
Ex-President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev took part in the official ceremony of opening the main mosque in the capital city of Nur-Sultan, according to his spokesperson Aidos Ukibay.
As Nazarbayev highlighted, the mosque has been built at the expense of private investors.
«This huge mosque has been built at the expense of several of our citizens and investors. Over the past 30 years of independence, some of our citizens have reached quite a high level of wealth, so I asked them to support the construction of the mosque. Not a penny of the public funds was spent,» Nazarbayev highlighted.
He also noted that the new mosque softly combines classic Islamic architecture and traditional Kazakh style. «I hope the mosque will be another attraction for tourists and guests in our city. Like any other mosque in the country, it is open for all people despite their ethnicity and religion,» he said.
According to the ex-president, the new mosque can house more than 30,000 people at once. «May God hear every prayer people say here,» he added.
Nazarbayev said that he laid the foundation stone of the mosque the day before he quit the president’s position.
«Back then, we were together with our President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. I pray that God bless our independent state. This is my duty as a citizen and believer,» Nazarbayev underscored.
The last time the ex-president showed up in public was June 5, 2022, when he took part in the referendum. Later, on June 13, he met with President Vladimir Putin of Russia.
