British architect Norman Foster receives State Award for Peace and Progress of 1st President of Kazakhstan

LONDON. KAZINFORM - Ambassador Erzhan Kazykhanov has handed State Award for Peace and Progress of First President of Kazakhstan - Nation's Leader Nursultan Nazarbayev to British architect Norman Foster in London, Kazinform has learnt from the embassy's press service.

Handing the prize, Ambassador Erzhan Kazykhanov mentioned that award is the evidence of distinguished contribution made by Norman Foster to development of architectural art in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. He pointed that buildings designed by the British architect give a special appearance to the young capital, which had become one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
In the course of the meeting, the Ambassador mentioned about the rapid growth of Astana and that within a short period the city had become a home to some major political and cultural events, including the 2010 OSCE Summit in 2010 and the 7th Asian Winter Games in 2011.
In addition to this, in 2017 Astana is hosting EXPO International specialised exhibition and launching the Astana International Financial Centre, which is to become the largest financial hub of the Eurasian region.
In turn, Mr. Norman Foster expressed his gratitude for the prize and said he is very honoured to be part of a massive project to create a new capital of Kazakhstan. Astana has all possibilities to become a new leading centre in the world. Holding EXPO-2017 under the title ‘Future energy' has a global significance from both domestic and international points of view.
The reward is expected to be forwarded to the Norman Foster Charity Foundation. Moreover, it will finance medical researches on causes of cancer and for new methods on therapy.
NOTE: Norman Foster has been given the State Award for Peace and Progress of First President of Kazakhstan - Nation's Leader for his outstanding contribution to the development of architectural art, strengthening peace and friendship, mutual trust between different nations.
Norman Foster is a British architect, holder of the Pritzker award. He is the author of the famous buildings in Astana, such as the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation (2006), the ‘Khan-Shatyr' trade and entertainment centre (2010) and the Library of the First President of Kazakhstan (2013).