New Monument Opened in Almaty
Almaty, 22 April 2011. Today, the opening ceremony of the Tree of Friendship monument in front of the EDB headquarters at 220 Dostyk Ave was held.
The monument is a bronze sculpture four metres high, which consists of three allegoric figures tied together. Like three trunks springing from a single root, these three human figures reach for the sky, their open arms crossing and forming a single tree head. The latter is made in the form of a trefoil leaf, an ancient symbol of eternity, consent, long life, and happiness in many cultures.
Saken Narynov, the author, intended these figures as symbols of the great ethnoses which traditionally inhabit Eurasia, and their hands which form an uninterrupted circle as symbols of historic friendship and consent and the wish to protect and support each other.
«The complex idea of the composition, its deep philosophical meaning, and the mystery of the hands tied together must invoke the feelings of joyful aspiration for the better, changes in life, and living in friendship and harmony», says the author.
The close ties and friendship between peoples symbolised by the monument are in line with the mission of the Eurasian Development Bank, an international financial institution founded by Russia and Kazakhstan in 2006 in order to promote the development of the market economy of its member states, sustainable economic growth, and mutual trade and economic ties. Since then, the Bank’s family increased to five members, as Russia and Kazakhstan were joined by Belarus, Armenia and Tajikistan; it will grow even further and become stronger, and so will friendship between our countries.
The opening ceremony was attended by the heads of the Almaty Akimat and the Medeusky district of Almaty, and representatives of the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs, diplomatic missions, and international organisations.
The monument installed in front of the EDB headquarters is the younger sister of the Friendship of Peoples monument which stands at the crossroad of the Republic Avenue and Omarova Street in Astana. The author’s core solution which makes these two compositions distinct from each other is the direction of the tree head spiral: rightward in Astana and leftward in Almaty.
The new monument was built on the initiative and at the expense of the EDB; it will decorate our growing modern city and become another attraction for visitors.