Astana celebrates Asean Summer Festival 2026 in grand style

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): The Asean Community in Astana, Kazakhstan, held the ASEAN Summer Festival 2026 on Saturday as part of a public diplomacy platform to promote the regional bloc and bring it closer to the local community.

 The second edition of the festival, organised by the ASEAN Committee in Astana (ACA), comprising the embassies of Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, received an overwhelming response, attracting more than 1,000 visitors to the Indonesian Cultural Centre in Astana.

The Embassy of Malaysia in Astana said in a statement that Malaysia's participation in the festival supports the Visit Malaysia 2026 national agenda by promoting the country as a travel destination rich in cultural diversity, heritage, and unique experiences.

The Malaysian booth at the festival offered a variety of local dishes prepared by members of PERWAKILAN Astana, alongside local products and handicrafts, giving visitors an opportunity to savour the flavours of Malaysia while gaining a deeper insight into the country's rich cultural heritage.

"The hosting of the ASEAN Summer Festival 2026 reflects ACA's commitment to enhancing ASEAN's visibility in Kazakhstan, while strengthening people-to-people ties between ASEAN and Kazakhstan.

"This initiative also supports and advances efforts to expand cooperation in trade and investment, higher education, tourism, culture as well as people-to-people ties," the embassy said.

Visitors were also treated to a Muay Thai martial arts demonstration featuring a special appearance by two-time K-1 World MAX world champion Buakaw Banchamek, as well as pencak silat performances, a batik workshop, music, singing and dance performances, cooking demonstrations, and the sale of special delicacies from ACA member countries.

This year's festival was held amid continued positive developments in Malaysia-Kazakhstan relations.

In 2025, bilateral trade continued to grow by 58.9 per cent, reaching its highest-ever value, reflecting the positive growth in the economic ties between the two countries.

Malaysia views Kazakhstan as an important partner in Central Asia and continues to explore opportunities for cooperation in trade and investment, tourism, higher education, the halal industry, the digital economy and Islamic banking.

In a broader context, stronger Malaysia-Kazakhstan ties directly contribute to efforts to strengthen ASEAN-Central Asia ties, including in connectivity, the digital economy and food security.

-- BERNAMA