The 35th Ambassadors’ Ball was held in Phoenix, where Kazakhstan was represented as the guest of honour. The annual diplomatic charity ball brings together members of the diplomatic corps, business community, academia and civil society organisations. The event aims to strengthen international ties and support educational and cultural initiatives.

This year, the venue acquired particular significance in the context of the development of the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and the University of Arizona. Participation in the event reaffirmed the high level and steady dynamics of bilateral cooperation in the fields of higher education and science.

The event was attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to the United States, Magzhan Ilyassov. In his remarks, he emphasised the special role of cultural diplomacy in strengthening interstate relations, noting that humanitarian and educational cooperation forms a solid foundation for long-term and mutually beneficial partnerships.

President of the University of Arizona, Suresh Garimella, publicly confirmed the high status of the joint project being implemented in Kazakhstan. According to him, the university’s micro-campus in Petropavl has become not only a successful educational initiative but also an example of deep international integration. He noted that the university is proud to be the first foreign institution with which Kazakhstan has established a strategic partnership of such scale, and that today this cooperation has evolved into a mature, multifaceted collaboration.

Behind these achievements lies systematic work to establish a modern academic and research centre in the northern region of Kazakhstan. Currently, 360 students are enrolled in dual-degree programmes. The campus attracts not only Kazakhstani youth but also students from the United States, China, Mongolia and Russia. In the near future, a new educational programme in Business Administration is planned to be launched, alongside the graduation of the first cohort of students, which will mark an important milestone in the development of the project.

The partnership has expanded beyond academic exchange and has become a platform for large-scale scientific research. Joint projects cover strategically important areas, including agriculture and water resource management, genomics and breeding, and deep processing of raw materials to create high value-added products. One illustrative example is the joint sulphur polymerisation project. In addition, the cooperation includes research in the fields of inclusive education, sustainable tourism and environmental studies.

A significant milestone was the enrolment of the first 29 Kazakhstani students at the university’s main campus in Tucson under dual-degree programmes. Faculty members are also undertaking professional development in the United States through the international scholarship programme Bolashak International Scholarship and the Fulbright Program, contributing to stronger academic ties and the transfer of advanced educational practices.

The micro-campus project in Petropavl is a clear example of the consistent implementation of the Head of State’s directives on the internationalisation of higher education. It demonstrates how the strategic course towards international integration is being transformed into tangible results — from training a new generation of specialists to launching joint scientific developments capable of making a significant contribution to the country’s economic and technological advancement.