In Rome, during a visit to Italy, Kazakhstan's Minister of Culture and Information, Aida Balayeva, presented the state award "Kazakhstannyn yeңbek sіңіrgen қayratkerі" ("Honored Figure of Kazakhstan") to opera singer Maria Mudryak.
A graduate of the Giuseppe Verdi Milan Conservatory, Maria Mudryak now performs on the world's leading opera stages and, according to international music critics, is among the top ten best sopranos in the world.
"It is a great honor for me to receive recognition from my homeland, Kazakhstan. I am very grateful to our President. He played a very important role in my life. When I was very little, about nine years old, I went to Italy and was going through some difficult times. "Then, Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, found a solution, and I was allowed to study in Italy," the opera singer said at the award ceremony.
She also noted that this year has been a special one in her career – it marks 28 years since the beginning of her professional career. According to Maria Mudryak, she proudly represents Kazakhstan on the world's leading opera stages and intends to continue to serve her homeland with dignity, glorifying it with her performances.
During her visit to Rome, Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan Aida Balayeva also met with representatives of Italian cultural organizations. The minister emphasized that cooperation between Kazakhstan and Italy is developing in all areas, and cultural dialogue is becoming an important part of bilateral relations.
"We are currently witnessing active cultural rapprochement, which fosters mutual respect and interest in national traditions. Our goal, as the presidents of our countries noted, is to deepen cooperation in all areas of culture. "We plan to hold a series of events that will help Italians get to know Kazakhstanis better. As Minister, I am deeply interested in further developing this interaction," said Aida Balayeva.
The Minister announced that "Days of Kazakhstani Cinema" will be held in Italy from November 24 to 26, where new and classic films from Kazakhstan will be showcased.
During the meeting with her Italian colleagues, prospects for cooperation in the creative industries, jewelry, film production, and animation were discussed. Particular attention was paid to architecture as one of the areas of joint work.
Aida Balayeva also visited the Central Institute for Restoration (ICR), one of the oldest institutions in Europe, founded in 1939. The ICR is Italy's leading research center in the field of cultural heritage conservation and restoration. It develops cutting-edge methods for the restoration of works of art, architectural monuments, and archaeological sites. A Memorandum of Understanding was recently signed between the ICR and the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan.