Taraz becomes twin city with Olympia

A solemn ceremony of signing the act of establishment of twinning relations between the city of Taraz and the city of Ancient Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, took place, Kazinform Agency cites the press service of the Kazakh MFA. 

The act of twinning was signed in a sacred place for the Greek people in front of the Temple of Hera, where in ancient times the disk of Iphitus with the rules of the Olympic Games was kept and nowadays a solemn ceremony of lighting the Olympic Flame takes place every 2 years.

Mayor of Taraz Bakhytzhan Orynbekov noted that the establishment of cooperation with the new partner town will allow to intensify the exchange in the sphere of culture, sports, tourism, science and education in order to create favorable conditions for mutual development of the two towns.

In his turn, Mayor Georgios Georgiopoulos emphasised that Ancient Olympia is glad to unite by ties of friendship and brotherhood with Taraz, a town with a history going back 2000 years and being a place of contact of peoples and cultures of East and West.

During the meeting with representatives of the business community of the region of Ilia, parties agreed to strengthen economic ties and develop relations between the regions and business circles of the two countries.

Ancient Olympia is famous not only for its UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but also for hosting the International Olympic Academy, the main educational and cultural institution of the International Olympic Committee.

The establishment of twinning relations between Taraz and Ancient Olympia was initiated by the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Greece and the Kazakh-Hellenic Business Council with the aim of developing interregional cooperation. The ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of Kazakhstan Yerlan Baudarbek-Kozhatayev, Co-Chairmen of the Kazakh-Hellenic Business Council Zhaksybek Kulekeev and Thomas Lamnidis, President of the International Olympic Academy Isidoros Kouvelos, Honorary Consul of Kazakhstan in Crete Spyridon Zannias.