Thanks to DCist reader “chrisafer” of Blah Blah Black Sheep who sends word that a notable Kazakhstani journalist was spotted in D.C. recently. Borat Sagdiyev, host of the popular Borat’s Guide to America, was seen at this weekend’s Capital Pride Festival, interviewing attendees. According to Chris, Borat’s staff were not happy with the attention they received from his partner Glenn:

Borat’s handlers weren’t happy. They actually were kind of rude to Glenn. I guess they didn’t want us to draw attention to him, and I can understand that. The one guy Glenn asked a quick question to was very dismissive and acted like he’d be revealing state secrets if he continued our conversation.

Mr. Sagdiyev was also spotted in the New York City subway last month. Rumor has it there is a Borat movie in the works.

Though widely recognized as a celebrity in the United States and U.K., Sagdiyev is controversial in Kazakhstan. In September of 2004, the Embassy of Kazakhstan’s Press Secretary Roman Vassilenko issued a statement refuting Borat’s many claims about the sparsely populated Asian nation, including the notion that “in Kazakhstan the favorite hobbies are disco dancing, archery, rape, and table tennis.” Though we understand Mr. Vassilenko’s objections to Sagdiyev’s antics and khrum grabbing, we think it’s all in good fun. Kazakhstan, we like you. Do you like us?

Image courtesy of “chrisafer”. More photos available here.