«Consular hour» with the Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Belgium

On May 20, 2026, at 11:00 a.m., the Faculty of International Relations of the al-Farabi Kazakh National University hosted an event in the "Consular Hour" format with the participation of Mr. Denis Van den Weghe, who is Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Belgium in the Republic of Kazakhstan, Chairman of the Board of the Republican Public Association "Society of Honorary Consuls". 

The Society is a member of the FICAC World Federation of Consuls, which is headquartered in Brussels (Belgium). The World Federation of Consuls "FICAC" was established in October 1982 in Copenhagen (Denmark) and today has more than 100 member associations, uniting all honorary consuls around the world.

This event has become an important academic and practice-oriented platform for interaction between students, teachers and representatives of the consular and diplomatic corps. 

The event began with a welcoming speech by the Dean of the Faculty of International Relations, Zhuldyz Sairambaeva, who thanked Mr. Denis Van den Weghe for the visit, stressed the importance of the faculty's interaction with representatives of the international diplomatic community and expressed interest in further cooperation. 

In his speech, Mr. Denis Van den Weghe spoke about the history of the establishment and activities of the Republican Public Association "Society of Honorary Consuls", about the role of the World Federation of Consuls FICAC, as well as about his activities. Mr. Denis Van den Weghe paid special attention to the contents of the book “Contemporary Diplomatic and Consular Relations”, noting its importance for future diplomats, consuls, researchers and specialists in the field of international relations. Mr. Denis Van den Weghe donated the book “Contemporary Diplomatic and Consular Relations” to the faculty library, and also shared a link where students can download the book for their own use.

After the speech, an active question and answer session was held, during which students and teachers were able to discuss with the guest a wide range of topics, from the practical activities of honorary consuls and the specifics of the consular service to the prospects for the development of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Belgium. The discussion took place in an open and interested atmosphere, allowing the participants to gain a valuable practical perspective on modern diplomacy and international relations.

At the end of the event, as a sign of gratitude for the visit and informative meeting, Dean of the Faculty of International Relations Zhuldyz Sairambaeva, on behalf of the faculty, presented Mr. Denis Van den Weghe with a book about Nazir Torekulov, an outstanding Kazakh diplomat, statesman and one of the first representatives of Kazakh diplomacy in the international arena.

The event ended with a shared photo of the participants and guests of the meeting.

This event will strengthen the ties between the Faculty of International Relations of al-Farabi Kazakh National University and the diplomatic community, increase students' interest in consular and diplomatic activities, and strengthen staff training in the field of international relations.

The event was organized by the Academic Regional Resource Center for Information Support about the United Nations at the Faculty of International Relations of al-Farabi Kazakh National University, responsible organizer Delovarova Leila Fedorovna, +7 701 365 88 08.