ASTANA, August 21 – The official awarding ceremony for the winners of the Fourth International Kazakhstan Through the Eyes of Foreign Media Contest was held at the Kazakh Foreign Ministry. The Ministry organized the contest in cooperation with Kazakhstan's Chief Editors' Club.

Welcoming the winners, Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov stressed the important role of professional journalism in modern society. “It is a force that can change people's mindset and encourage them to take action" he said. The Ministry considers it a duty to encourage high quality, creativity, objectivity, and impartiality in journalism.

Abdrakhmanov briefed the journalists on current political and economic reforms within Kazakhstan's Third Modernization framework, as well as the priorities outlined in the Modernization of National Identity program.

Commenting on the growth of the contest, the Minister noted a significant increase in the number of applicants this year; the jury received 83 applications from 29 countries. Many of these focused on Astana EXPO 2017, confirming global media interest in the exhibition. This year, five winners were announced from among the contestants, one from each of the five geographies.

Parvana Sultanova, a reporter at Azerbaijan's 1news.az news agency, was named the winner from the CIS and Baltics. Vocal Europe's Ilaria Capitanio, who hails from Italy, submitted the best application from Europe. Among the American authors, Thomas Taylor from Canada was announced as a winner for an article which appeared on Wildlives.co. Joel Lee, a reporter at The Korea Herald, was chosen as the winner from Asia, Australia, and Oceania. Udi Shaham from Israel was named the winner from the Middle East and Africa for an article published in The Jerusalem Post.

In addition to diplomas and memorable souvenirs, the winners were awarded a trip to Astana, Almaty, and Burabai in Kazakhstan. During their visit, they will have the opportunity to visit EXPO 2017, cultural and historical sights, architectural pieces of modern Kazakhstan, as well as the country's magnificent nature.

The ceremony was also attended by the President of Kazakhstan's Chief Editors' Club, Yerlan Bekkhozhin; representatives from the diplomatic corps; and contest partners, including the Kazakhstan Temir Zholy national railway company, the Astana EXPO 2017 national company, Kazakhstan's National Olympic Committee, LOT Polish Airlines, Rixos Borovoe and Ramada Plaza hotels, and the Argymak transportation company.

LOT Polish Airlines spokesperson, Adrian Kubicki, noted the growing popularity of the direct Warsaw-Astana flight among Polish and European passengers. The flight was launched on the eve of EXPO 2017 in May. The growing attention of international media on Kazakhstan, including through similar competitions, adds to the country's reputation as an attractive tourist destination, he believes.

The contest winners voiced their appreciation for organizing the contest and shared their expectations for the trip. Joel Lee, the winner from the Republic of Korea, said he would be visiting Kazakhstan for the second time and believes that “the biggest value of this country is its people".

Heads and representatives of diplomatic missions from Azerbaijan, Canada, Italy, and the Republic of Korea Astana also congratulated the winners.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa/press/news/details/18286?lang=kk