ASTANA – The ASEAN Summer Festival brought Southeast Asia closer to Kazakhstan on Aug. 22, turning the Kazakh capital into a showcase of the region’s cultures, traditions, food and tourism while underscoring growing people-to-people ties.
The ASEAN Summer Festival brought Southeast Asia’s cultures, traditions, food and tourism to Astana on Aug. 22, highlighting growing people-to-people ties with Kazakhstan. Photo credit: Embassy of Indonesia to Kazakhstan
Organized by the Astana ASEAN Committee (AAC), comprising the Embassies of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, with the support of the Honorary Consul of Singapore in Kazakhstan, the festival featured traditional music and dance performances, a food bazaar and cultural presentations showcasing the diversity of Southeast Asia.
Held under the theme Navigating Our Future, Together and focused on ASEAN culture, the festival was part of broader efforts to strengthen engagement between Kazakhstan and the ASEAN.
Speaking at the event, Ambassador of Indonesia to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan Mochamad Fadjroel Rachman noted that ASEAN Day is an opportunity to strengthen relations between Kazakhstan and Southeast Asian countries.
“This is the second year we are celebrating ASEAN Day, and hopefully it could be yearly here in Kazakhstan, so we could strengthen the relation between Kazakhstan and ASEAN countries,” he said.
Representatives of Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore participated in the celebration, reflecting the growing presence of ASEAN countries in Kazakhstan and the expanding scope of cooperation between the two regions.
Visa-free travel to boost tourism
Tourism and connectivity were among the key themes highlighted during the event. Rachman noted that Indonesia introduced a visa-free travel for Kazakh citizens on July 9, allowing them to travel to Indonesia without obtaining a visa in advance.
Ambassador of Indonesia to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan Mochamad Fadjroel Rachman. Photo credit: Embassy of Indonesia to Kazakhstan
“Indonesia granted visa-free to Kazakhstan to go to Bali, just buying a ticket and then flying to Indonesia,” he said, noting the popularity of Bali among Kazakh travellers.
The ambassador expressed hope that the new arrangement would contribute to a significant increase in tourist flows, estimating that around 50,000 Kazakh people could visit Indonesia in 2026.
He also pointed to the wider opportunities for travel within Southeast Asia.
“If you buy a ticket, you could go not only to Indonesia, but also to Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and other ASEAN countries,” he said.
According to Rachman, improved connectivity can help deepen relations between Kazakhstan and ASEAN not only through tourism but also through broader cultural and economic exchanges.
Connecting people through travel, education and business
Talgat Chinikeyev, honorary consul of Singapore in Kazakhstan, said relations between Kazakhstan and Southeast Asia have become increasingly people-oriented in recent years.
Talgat Chinikeyev Honorary Council of Singapore in Kazakhstan. Photo credit: Embassy of Indonesia to Kazakhstan
“Over the past several years, I have personally seen a significant change in the way Kazakhstan and Southeast Asia engage with each other. Our relations are no longer limited to official diplomacy or government-to-government contacts. They are becoming much more people-oriented,” he told The Astana Times.
He noted that improved connectivity has made Southeast Asia more familiar and accessible to Kazakh citizens, with growing numbers travelling to Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore for tourism, education, business and healthcare.
At the same time, interest in Kazakhstan and Central Asia is growing in Southeast Asia, with more business delegations, investors, professionals and visitors exploring opportunities in the region.
Chinikeyev said he has observed these trends particularly in Kazakhstan-Singapore relations, with Singapore increasingly recognized in Kazakhstan not only as an Asian economic success story, but also as a center for education, finance, technology, innovation and healthcare.
Business exchanges between the two countries have also become more active, with potential for cooperation in investment, logistics, digitalisation, education and technology.
He highlighted President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s state visit to Singapore in 2024 as an important push for bilateral relations and stronger people-to-people ties.
“I believe we are now moving into a very interesting stage where Kazakhstan can become a natural gateway for Southeast Asia into Central Asia, while Singapore can serve as an important gateway for Kazakhstan into ASEAN,” said Chinikeyev.
Celebrating ASEAN’s diversity
The festival also provided an opportunity for the public to learn more about the cultural diversity of ASEAN, a region of more than 680 million people comprising 11 member states. The region is also home to hundreds of ethnic groups, more than 1,000 languages and diverse religious traditions.
Photo credit: Embassy of Indonesia to Kazakhstan
According to the festival organizers, ASEAN’s ability to maintain unity amid such diversity is one of the region’s defining characteristics. For Chinikeyev, cultural events can help make Southeast Asia feel closer to people in Kazakhstan.
“My hope is that people who come to the ASEAN summer festival will not simply enjoy the food, music, performances and atmosphere, but will leave with a genuine curiosity about Southeast Asia and a desire to learn more about the region,” he said.
He added that culture has a unique ability to bring people together naturally, particularly when regions remain geographically distant from one another.
Culture as a foundation for long-term partnership
The festival was presented not only as a cultural showcase but also as an instrument of public diplomacy and engagement. Held in Astana, a city with a diverse population and an increasingly active international profile, the event sought to create direct connections between the public and ASEAN through food, music, traditional performances and cultural exchange.
An Indonesian traditional dance performance showcased the rich cultural diversity of ASEAN at the festival in Astana on Aug. 22. Photo credit: Embassy of Indonesia to Kazakhstan
The ASEAN summer festival builds on a broader increase in engagement between Kazakhstan and Southeast Asia, supported by direct air connectivity, growing tourism, business exchanges and high-level diplomatic contacts.
“This is how long-term partnerships are built – not only through agreements and official visits, but through friendship, understanding and genuine human connections,” Chinikeyev said.
