You're reading: Head of Russian Orthodox Church to meet with Kazakh president

ALMATY - The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, will meet with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev during a visit to Kazakhstan late next month.

The meeting will take place in Astana during the Fourth Congress of Religious Leaders, the head of the Kazakh Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Alexander, told a news conference in Almaty on April 10.

"On May 29-30 of this year in Astana, where this congress will take place, the holy patriarch will arrive, make a speech, visit Orthodox holy sites, and meet with the leader of the nation, Nursultan Abishevich Nazarbayev, president of Kazakhstan," Alexander said.

Kirill will also meet with the Synod of the Kazakh Orthodox Church, Orthodox bishops and priests, and Kazakhstan’s supreme mufti, Sheikh Absattar Hajji Derbisali, the metropolitan said.

The congress, to be held on May 30-31, will bring together religious leaders, heads of state, well-known politicians, public figures, representatives of international organizations, and experts.