On May 9, 2025, Zh.E. Nurbayev, Senior Expert at the Center for International Studies, took part in the international scientific-practical conference “Nazir Torekulov Readings,” organized by the Department of International Relations at L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University. Nurbayev delivered a report titled “Nazir Torekulov, the First Professional Diplomat from Kazakhstan,” where he characterized Nazir Torekulov (Tyuryakulov, 1892–1937), the first Kazakh to professionally represent the interests of the Soviet state on the international stage during the early Soviet period.
From 1927 to 1936, N. Torekulov headed the USSR’s diplomatic mission in Hejaz (now Saudi Arabia), becoming one of the most influential representatives of the Muslim East in Soviet diplomacy. He not only secured recognition of the USSR by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia but also built relations based on principles of cultural understanding and dialogue.
The report examined key stages of N. Torekulov’s biography, his intellectual and political development, as well as his contribution to the formation of a diplomatic school that combined universal international norms with ethnocultural particularities. Special attention was given to how his work anticipated modern forms of “soft power” and intercivilizational mediation, which remain highly relevant in 21st-century diplomacy.
