Diplomacy as an art

Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Belgium and Luxembourg, head if representative office of Kazakhstan by EU and NATO Margulan Baimukhan spoke about why a diplomat is a real nomad and why he always returns to Kazakhstan.

You have extensive experience in the diplomatic service and represent the interests of our country abroad. Please, tell us about your profession, what do you like most about it?

A diplomat is a unique profession that has absorbed a lot. A skilled diplomat must be an analyst, a political scientist, an economist, a historian, a philosopher, and even an art critic. He needs to be a subtle psychologist in order to be able to find the
right approach to any interlocutor. Despite all the difficulties and nuances, this is an interesting profession, and I can say with confidence that I like absolutely everything about it. Diplomatic work for me is, first of all, serving the interests of the motherland, an opportunity to develop strong relations between our countries and create interesting and mutually beneficial projects both in politics and in the economy, culture and tourism.

How is the culture of the Kazakh people represented abroad? Who are the Kazakhs known to the people of Belgium?
For three decades, cooperation between

Kazakhstan and Belgium has been devel-
oping dynamically in many areas, including

in the field of culture and literature. Belgian
readers were presented with many works
of Kazakh writers in French and Dutch,
including the work of the great Kazakh
poet, composer, educator and thinker Abai
Kunanbayuly. Embassy of the Republic of
Kazakhstan in the Kingdom of Belgium.
The Belgian side was also provided with
information about the life of the founder of
the Kazakh written literature Abay and his
values, which are similar to the values of
the famous Belgian poet Guido Gesell.
How do you imagine a modern nomad?
What does he look like, what does he do?
How is nomadic culture represented today?
– The openness of the modern world due
to globalization implies the understanding
of nomadism as the most modern way of
life, which means that nomadism becomes
a kind of unifying beginning for all states,
peoples and cultures.
And the last question: our magazine is
called Museofnomad, which means “muse
or inspiration of nomads”. What do you
think inspired the nomads?
– As an ancient Kazakh legend says, a
true nomad Kazakh should have seven
treasures – “Seven Treasure”: courage, an
intelligent and beautiful wife, a fast-footed