TASHKENT. May 20. KAZINFORM Celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the Kazakh Cultural Center in Uzbekistan began in the Uzbek capital on Saturday. The first event was a kurultai of the Kazakh Diaspora.

Participants in the meeting were representatives of the Kazakh Embassy, World Association of Kazakhs, Akimat of South Kazakhstan region, Kazakh cultural center of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakh cultural centers in the regions of Uzbekistan.

The event was opened by Chairman of the Republican Kazakh Cultural Center Marat Ukibayev, who recounted the history of association and the important stages of its development.

Kazakh Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Boribay Zheksembin made a congratulatory speech. According to him, after the collapse of the former Soviet Union, almost all the republics faced the problem of inter-ethnic harmony. Unfortunately, some regions suffered from inter-ethnic clashes. "In this context, thanks to the balanced policy of two presidents of the fraternal countries Nursultan Nazarbayev and Islam Karimov, our countries managed to preserve interethnic accord and strengthen the centuries-old traditional unity and friendship between nations," B. Zheksembin said.

The Ambassador said that today the International Cultural Center of Uzbekistan holds many events in support of more than 100 ethnic groups living in the country, and for the preservation and strengthening of inter-ethnic harmony. "As its part, the Cultural Center of Kazakhstan is pursuing its activities in order to continue the traditions of the Kazakhs living in Uzbekistan, preserve national values. In this regard the Embassy provides all possible assistance, and this work will always find its continuation," the head of the diplomatic mission added.