Ahead of the visit to Astana by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in early April, Nurbakh Rustemov, Kazakhstan’s Ambassador in Budapest, shared his views on the bilateral relations and their future, touching, among other things on the interesting and long-standing cultural links between the two countries. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been zipping in and out of Central Asia’s capitals, determined not to let the five Stans – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – slide out of Moscow’s orbit. “For Russia, it is about maintaining influence, economic and cultural, and maintaining Central Asia as a security buffer.”

One of the major drivers in the rapid progress of Korean filmmaking has been the support provided by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). They help support Korean films within the country and promote them to international markets through film-based cultural exchanges. 

Organized by DanceMotion USA, a cultural diplomacy program run by the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the "Unsettled" modern dance performance focuses on reconciliation of people. Dancers from Turkish, American and Armenian origins examine the nature of saying "sorry." 

In 1995, the U.S. and Vietnam established diplomatic relations. Now, as the Ambassador of Vietnam to the U.S., I find Americans focused on the future and what we can accomplish together, from creating jobs through trade to building mutual understanding through education.

Despite billions of yen being earmarked for the country’s Cool Japan campaign —a government push at spreading soft power — Asada doesn’t think music is a big priority. He believes that the government would rather support the interests of the anime industry.