More than 70 journalists from 40 countries participated in the 8th annual contest "Kazakhstan Through the Eyes of Foreign Media”, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan together with Kazakhstan’s Chief Editors’ Club, Kazakh Tourism, and the Secretariat of CICA (Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia), El.kz cites MFA.
Journalists and bloggers from five continents presented their creative works in a variety of formats, including articles in print, popular online platforms, blogs, and podcasts on various topics, including international relations, history, culture, tourism, education, investment potential, national cuisine, and other areas.
The jury, which included Roman Vassilenko, Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, Bibigul Zheksenbai, President of Kazakhstan’s Chief Editors Club, Talgat Amanbayev, Chairman of the Board of Kazakh Tourism, and Ambassador Doulat Kuanyshev, expert in the CICA Military-Political Dimension, chose the winners of the competition.
Eight journalists from five regions of the world won in various nominations.
The podcast series by the Canada Eurasia Chamber of Commerce on higher education in Kazakhstan, the transformation of Kazakhstan's mining industry and what makes the country attractive to foreign investors was recognized as the best from the Americas region.
Among European countries, the entry of Spanish journalist Jose Puglisi was recognised as the best. His article, published in “Periodista Digital”, a widely-read platform in the Iberian Peninsula and across Latin America, focuses on Kazakhstan's bolstering global standing.
A series of articles by Askar Yakubov published in "Uzdaily.uz" on cooperation between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan was selected as the winner among the entries from the CIS and Eurasia countries.
The Asia-Pacific region's winner was Xuan Nguyen Phan Huong, a reporter for the national radio "The Voice of Vietnam." Her series of works covered Kazakhstan’s history and the development of bilateral cooperation.
Among the entrants from the Middle East and Africa, the jury highly appreciated the series of articles by Ethiopian reporter Gosaye Feyissa Nateyi. An important factor that influenced the decision of the jury was the fact that Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, is home to the headquarters of the African Union, which unites 54 countries of the continent.
Additionally, the Kazakh Tourism nomination was awarded to Italian travel blogger Filippo Tenti for his documentary showcasing Kazakhstan's culture and tourist destinations, titled “The World Through the Eyes of Overland,” which aired on Italy's main TV station, RAI, in January 2023.
This year, for the first time, a separate nomination from CICA was introduced to mark Kazakhstan's chairmanship of the organisation. The jury decided to award two journalists – International desk editor of “Bernama” Ravichandran Rajamanickam from Malaysia for his article “Kazakhstan's Unwavering Commitment In Promoting International Peace, Security” and Nargiz Mammadova for her article “CICA: New Asia in a New World – A View from Azerbaijan.”
As mentioned previously, the winners of the contest will have a unique opportunity to visit Kazakhstan in August as part of an organised trip, with visits to the cities of Astana, Almaty, and the East Kazakhstan region.
The annual “Kazakhstan Through the Eyes of Foreign Media” contest, initiated in 2014, aims to actively promote global audiences’ interest in Kazakhstan's current development trends, popularising its rich natural and cultural heritage, as well as revealing its potential to attract foreign investors and tourists from all over the world.