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Azerbaijanâ€™s ambassador to Kazakhstan Latif Gandilov offers to rename Astana as Sultan-Ata in honor of Nursultan Nazarbayev

30 December 2009 12:59 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Azerbaijanâ€™s ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Kazakhstan Latif Gandilov offered to rename Astana as Sultan-Ata in honor of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, APA reports quoting Liter socio-political newspaper. The ambassador said in his interview to the newspaper that he had personally made the proposal to President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Latif Gandilov, who was the dean during the traditional annual meeting of Kazakhstanâ€™s President some days ago, offered to open a club of diplomats in Astana. He attributed his decision to the fact that Astana is the center of diplomacy of Kazakhstan.
â€œI personally appealed to President and offered to rename Astana as Sultan-Ata. The idea appeared during the live contact with the President broadcasted on all TV channels of the country. If you remember, President said his friends called him Sultan when he was a child. Everybody knows that Nursultan Nazarbayev considers Astana his child. Why not to name this city in honor of President?â€ he said.
Asked how Kazakhstanâ€™s President reacted to the proposal Latif Gandilov said Nursultan Nazarbayev was surprised.