On June 4, 2025, the Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Aida Balayeva, participated in the Second UNESCO Conference "Cultural Heritage in the 21st Century," held in Naples.

Conference participants discussed the development, preservation, and protection of cultural heritage sites, the maintenance of traditions, and the promotion of educational and youth programs.

As the Minister noted, the implementation of these tasks is one of the priority areas of the department. In addition, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has repeatedly drawn attention to the importance of preserving and popularizing cultural heritage at the National Kurultai platform. Work in this area will be carried out within the framework of the Comprehensive Plan approved by the government.

In her speech to the conference participants, the Minister also raised the problem of the impact of climate on cultural heritage sites. As an example, Aida Balayeva cited the impact of floods, hurricanes, fires, and soil erosion, which accelerate the destruction of monuments.

"I propose to join our efforts and hold a special international seminar, which will hear forecasts from ecologists from different countries regarding environmental risks in the short term, and develop specific recommendations for the preservation of our heritage," Aida Balayeva noted.

As part of the trip, Aida Balayeva also held a meeting with the Italian Minister of Culture, Alessandro Giuli. The parties discussed the current state and prospects of bilateral cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere, and agreed on concrete steps to expand the partnership between the two countries.

As the Minister noted, Kazakhstan and Italy are linked by friendly and close relations, which are also facilitated by agreements at the highest level. In particular, during the visit of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Italy, a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of culture and art was signed. The recent visit of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, gave a new impetus to the deepening of cooperation.

Thus, mutual tours of artists, joint exhibitions, deepening of cooperation between national museums and theatrical organizations of Kazakhstan and Italy, as well as interaction in the field of music and cinematography are planned.

In addition, the parties discussed issues of expanding partnerships in the field of restoration and joint work on opening a Restoration Center in Kazakhstan. Aida Balayeva noted that Italy has outstanding achievements in this area, which opens up wide opportunities for the exchange of knowledge and experience.

In conclusion, the Minister of Culture and Information expressed interest in continuing fruitful cooperation in the field of culture, and also invited her Italian counterpart to visit Kazakhstan with a return working visit.