Farnesina –
The first Italian Cultural Institute of Central Asia will be inaugurated on November 30th in Almaty (Kazakhstan). The inauguration falls just under three months after the visit to Kazakhstan of the Vice President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Antonio Tajani, during which the new headquarters of the Italian Embassy was inaugurated in Astana.
“The cultural diplomacy action that I have promoted since my first day at the Farnesina is central to the Government’s foreign policy strategy. There is nothing more international than culture and Italy, which has one of its greatest strengths in cultural heritage, operates in the global context also benefiting from the work of our almost ninety Institutes: a long list, which has been added the one that is inaugurated in Kazakhstan”, commented Tajani.
The inaugural act will be presided over by the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Edmondo Cirielli, and by Ambassador Marco Alberti.
The opening of the Institute represents a new and important piece of the Italian presence in Kazakhstan, after the launch, in December 2022, of the Confindustria Kazakhstan section. Italy is one of the largest foreign investors in the country, the first European buyer of Kazakh goods and second globally, with trade tripled compared to 2021 values. There is a growing demand for Italy, also on a cultural level, confirmed by the excellent public feedback received on the occasion of the main initiatives carried out.
The Institute, which will be directed by Edoardo Crisafulli, will play an important role in terms of soft power, helping to strengthen Italy’s positioning in a region of growing strategic importance, and in a particularly delicate historical moment from a geopolitical point of view.
In addition to teaching the Italian language and promoting cultural events and initiatives, the Institute will take care, in synergy with the Embassy and the ICE Agency, to carry out activities related to the integrated promotion of Italy in Kazakhstan, enhancing the strength of the culture-business nexus.
