On June 16, Ambassador of France to Kazakhstan Didier Canesse presented famous poet and public figure Olzhas Suleimenov with the highest decoration in France, the National Order of the Legion of Honor.
The Legion of Honor was established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte and is awarded for excellent civil or military conduct usually reserved for French nationals but can also be given to foreign nationals who have served France or the values it upholds.
Ambassador Canesse said in the ceremony that the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, signed a decree appointing Olzhas Suleimenov to the Order of the Legion of Honor on March 7, 2022.
You were Kazakhstan's Ambassador to UNESCO in Paris and are still Honorary President of the Association of Kazakhs in France. You also founded the Centre for the Rapprochement of Cultures under the auspices of UNESCO, which you manage here in Almaty with talent and enthusiasm. Your personal journey is a testament to your exceptional destiny.
The ambassador added that many of the writer's works were regularly published in France. In addition, Olzhas Suleimenov received international recognition as a civic activist for the protection of the environment.
"You are, undoubtedly, dear Olzhas-aga, an outstanding personality in the world of culture in Kazakhstan today. A renowned poet and writer, you are also known for your unwavering commitment to preserving peace and promoting humanistic values and protecting the environment. You are one of the great moral leaders of perestroika, which led to the collapse of Soviet totalitarianism and subsequently to the independence of Kazakhstan," Ambassador Canesse said.
In turn, Olzhas Suleimenov thanked President Macron and all the guests in attendance. He also duly noted ex-president of France François Mitterrand, who had presented the poet with the Legion of Honor of a different degree in 1993.
Olzhas Suleimenov is a Kazakh poet, writer, public figure and politician, who is considered one of the greatest thinkers of his country. In the years of perestroika, the poet created the people's movement "Nevada-Semipalatinsk", thanks to which a moratorium on testing was established. Soon after, the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site was closed.