Malaysian Journalists To Witness Kazakhstan Celebrate Independence Day

From Nur Aimidiyana Zuher ASTANA (Kazakhstan) Dec 15 (Bernama) -- Tomorrow (Dec 16) marks Kazakhstan's Independence Day, a day of national festivities celebrated by every Kazakh as the country was the last of the Soviet republics to declare independence in 1991. As a young independent state, Kazakhstan with approximately 17 million people living in the world's largest landlocked country, has incredibly, achieved a milestone of success in tourism, sports, economy, oil and energy, among others. In celebrating the auspicious event in Astana, the nation's capital city, a Malaysian entourage of journalists was specially invited by the Republic of Kazakhstan Government to commemorate the ceremony. The week-long trip will take the journalists to two main cities, namely Astana and Almaty to enable them to view for themselves, the rapid development and fast growing nation. Located in Central Asia, Kazakhstan is entirely enclosed by land, whose only coastline lies on close seas, with a territory of more than 2.7 million square kilometres. According to Serik Bukebayev, counsellor from the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the trip is organised for Malaysian journalists to see and witness for themselves, the real culture, as well as the beauty of tourist spots in the ninth largest country in the world. “The Kazakhstan Embassy in Kuala Lumpur hopes that Malaysian media members will enjoy their experience gained throughout the trip and come out with a good write up, including their overview of the country,” he said. For the past 21st years, the bilateral ties between Kazakhstan and Malaysia has been good, especially in the sector of economy. As part of history, on Oct 10, 2007, the first Malaysian cosmonaut, Dr Sheikh Muzaphar Shukor, was launched to the International Space Station aboard Soyuz TMA-1, from Baikanor Space Centre, Kazakhstan, in an agreement between Malaysia and Russia. -- BERNAMA