A meeting was held at the Archive of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan with José Quirps, President of the International Council on Archives, and with the heads of archival services of Central Asian countries.

The participants of the meeting included Aizada Kurmanova, Chairperson of the Committee on Archives, Documentation and Book Affairs of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan; heads of archival services of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan; as well as the management and representatives of the Archive of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

In the context of digital transformation, expanding international cooperation to ensure the preservation of documentary heritage and the training of professional personnel are of particular importance.

Opening the meeting, Aliya Mustafina, Director of the Archive of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, emphasized the importance of strengthening professional dialogue between the archival institutions of the region and the International Council on Archives. She also noted the special role of the Congress of Archivists as an international platform for the exchange of experience, discussion of current challenges, and the development of joint solutions in the archival field.

The initiative to hold the Congress of Archivists was put forward in 2022 with the support of the International Council on Archives (ICA). Today, the Congress represents an authoritative international dialogue platform for discussing current issues in the development of archival affairs, the preservation of documentary heritage, and the introduction of modern technologies into archival activities.

José Quirps, President of the International Council on Archives, expressed the ICA's readiness to facilitate the development of professional cooperation, the strengthening of interaction between archival institutions, and the integration of the Central Asian archival community into international archival processes.

In turn, the heads of archival services of Central Asian countries presented information on ongoing initiatives and exchanged views on promising areas of cooperation within the framework of the International Council on Archives.

Based on the results of the meeting, the parties confirmed their interest in the further development of partnership ties, the expansion of experience exchange, the implementation of joint projects, and the strengthening of regional cooperation in the archival field.

It should be noted that the meeting was held on the eve of the opening of the III Congress of Archivists, which is taking place in Astana with the support of the International Council on Archives and brings together representatives of the archival community from various countries around the world.