1997-1998

We continue to publish a Chronicle of the main events of the Congress of Spiritual Concord and the World Forum of Spiritual Culture

1997

On October 18 an initiative of the International Foundation “Congress of Spiritual Concord” and the Moscow Organization Center for Eurasian Humanitarian Cooperation a round table was held in Almaty on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the First World Congress of Spiritual Concord.

Its participants adopted a Memorandum expressing the hope that the interaction of historical religions will be an important prerequisite for shaping the spiritual culture of the peoples of Eurasia and will contribute to the prevention of inter-ethnic conflicts. 

The important result of the meeting was the creation of the Eurasian inter-confessional peacekeeping center that has no equivalents. It was called to operate in the “hot spots” of Eurasia, the places of detention, to provide assistance to soldiers and disabled veterans of interstate conflicts. Participants of the roundtable addressed to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, heads of parliaments and governments of Eurasian states, spiritual leaders of historical confessions, public organizations and business communities.

At the time, an anti-terrorist operation was underway in the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation. An inter-confessional round table was held, and a joint letter on problems of settlement in Chechnya was adopted. 

For the first time in Kazakhstan a large charity event was held on Spiritual Concord Day. Throughout the republic over 60,000 people at once sat at a festive Dastarkhan.  And before each Dadarkhan prayers were recited by representatives of leading religions. Representatives of various strata of the population took part in these celebratory meals, but a special attention was paid to people from socially protected categories. The chief table in the southern capital, thanks to a number of sponsors, was served at the Ankara Hotel for 200 veterans of war and labor. This marked the beginning of the tradition of charitable dinners in honor of the Day of Spiritual Concord. One of the purposes of this Day is to encourage charity and mercy to become a permanent need for most citizens.

Charitable actions on October 18 are not just a grand gesture, but rather a real creation of good, kindness and an impulse of the heart. And if it comes from the heart, it gives birth to awe in the soul of the one who gratefully accepts it. Thus, a special spiritual connection between people is born.

Day of Spiritual Concord was first celebrated in the new capital of Kazakhstan, Akmola (Astana).

1998

On October 17 Astana hosted a round table on “The spiritual state of society: results and prospects”.

According to its outcomes the Appeal to the President and Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan was accepted with an appeal to declare the Day of Spiritual Consent on October 18 as a national holiday under the slogans of mercy, unity and friendship and to incorporate it in the number of national holidays of the Republic of Kazakhstan.