His Excellency Mr. Akan Rakhmetullin is the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Permanent Representative to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). A career diplomat with more than three decades of experience across bilateral and multilateral postings, he has represented Kazakhstan at the United Nations (UN) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and played a central role in shaping the country’s multi-vector foreign policy and engagement with international institutions. Speaking to commonspace.eu, Ambassador Rakhmetullin reflected on his experience of representing a newly independent state in the 1990s, Kazakhstan’s ongoing domestic reform agenda, and how internal political changes shape the country’s external posture. He also discussed opportunities for deeper cooperation with Europe, particularly in energy, technology, and agriculture, defended the relevance of multilateral institutions under growing political strain, and explained why Kazakhstan continues to pursue a multi-vector foreign policy aimed at maintaining balanced relations with major powers. (Read the full interview by clicking the image above)

The Muslim Holy month of Ramadan started on Wednesday, 18 February. For Muslims across the world, the holy month of Ramadan is a time for religious reflection, increased worship, charity and community. Observant Muslims abstain from all forms of food and drink between the hours of dawn and sunset whilst trying to reconnect with their faith. Islam adheres to the lunar calendar. This means that the month of Ramadan begins when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted  The lunar calendar is 10 to 11 days shorter than the modern 365-day Gregorian calendar, which is based on the Earth's rotation around the sun. This difference means Ramadan begins on a different day each year.  In Muslim-majority countries, dedicated state committees check for the crescent moon and officially announce the start of Ramadan. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and several other Gulf countries claimed to have sighted the crescent moon on 17 February and declared 18 February as the first day of Ramadan. However, Egypt, Turkey Jordan and some other countries said the crescent moon was not sighted and therefore announced that Ramadan would begin on Thursday 19 February. This means that the month of fasting will likely end on either Wednesday 18 March or Thursday 19 March, as there are either 29 or 30 days in a lunar month. As a result, Eid al-Fitr, the festival of breaking the fast, is likely to fall on either Thursday 19 March or Friday 20 March. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan. Muslims tend to celebrate Eid with a small breakfast and give to charity before Eid prayers in congregation.