On Oct. 14, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians visited Almaty as part of their state visit to Kazakhstan, which ran from Oct. 11-14. Kursiv LifeStyle looks back at the royal couple’s visit to the country’s largest city.
The royal couple shared photos from Almaty on social media. They were welcomed by Mayor Darkhan Satybaldy and visited the Institute of Nuclear Physics, where they were shown a cyclotron manufactured by Belgian company IBA.
The equipment is used to produce radioisotopes for medical diagnostics, including the detection of cancer.
The visit also offered an introduction to Kazakh equestrian traditions. The King and Queen were shown horses and watched a performance before trying their hand at archery.
Many Almaty residents learned about the royal visit through city administration warnings about potential road closures on Oct. 14.
A royal visit to the Almaty Museum of Arts
On the morning of Oct. 14, the Almaty Museum of Arts announced that it would remain closed to visitors until 5 p.m. That evening, the royal couple shared photos from the institution, which hosted a dance performance titled «Clay Bodies» by artist Ula Sickle.
The performance was part of a collaboration between the Almaty Museum of Arts and KANAL-Centre Pompidou in Brussels. The museum was the final cultural stop on the royal couple’s Almaty itinerary before their departure from Kazakhstan.
Belgium’s investment in Kazakhstan
Belgium is one of Kazakhstan’s major foreign investors. According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Belgian investment in the country has exceeded $14.5 billion. Belgian companies operate in several sectors, including energy, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and logistics.