Lao President Thonglong Sisoulit, who is on an official visit to Kazakhstan, visited the Ascension Cathedral in Alma Ata on September 3, 2026.
The head of the Lao People's Democratic Republic was accompanied by Deputy Akim of Alma Ata B.M. Shakhanov.
In 2025, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia presented the President of Laos with the Order of Glory and Honor of the First Degree. The head of the Lao Republic was awarded one of the highest church awards "for consideration of the help of the Russian Orthodox Church."
With the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, the President of Laos was met at the main temple of Alma Ata by Archpriest Alexander Suvorov, the cathedral's sacristan, head of the Public Relations department of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, Priest Georgy Sidorov, head of the administrative secretariat of the head of the Metropolitan District, and Protodeacon Roman Golovin, head of the Metropolitan Protocol service.
Archpriest Alexander and Priest George told the distinguished guest about the history of the construction of the Ascension Cathedral, which is the historical and cultural pearl of Semirechye, the uniqueness of architecture and modern life of the main temple of the Southern capital of Kazakhstan. During the tour, Father Klyuchar elaborated on the details of the large-scale professional restoration of the cathedral, carried out in 2017-2020. It was noted that all the work was carried out under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Kazakhstan and UNESCO, with the involvement of top-level professional specialists from Kazakhstan, Russia, Serbia, Italy, Germany and France.
The clergy stressed that the President of Kazakhstan, K.-J.K. Tokayev, who visited the cathedral in 2019, after reviewing the results of the restoration, praised the unique work done and called the project "the second birth of the national shrine of Kazakhstan."
The President of Laos expressed gratitude for the warm welcome and conveyed his gratitude to the head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District. The guest highly appreciated the activities of the Orthodox Church in preserving the historical and cultural heritage of the country, noting the importance of the cathedral as a symbol of the spiritual greatness of Kazakhstan.
In memory of the visit to the temple, the guest was presented with a book about the Ascension Cathedral and a music album by the Metropolitan District Choir conducted by O.N. Ovchinnikov, Honored Worker of Kazakhstan and Honored Artist of the Russian Federation.