The fictional Kazakh journalist -- acted by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen – initially outraged the government of Kazakhstan, only to prompt all the crueller lampooning of their oil-rich, ex-Soviet republic in Central Asia.
This time, Kazakhstan's deputy foreign minister Rakhat Aliyev tried a new tack by issuing an invitation -- and adding a little humour of his own.
Pointing out that Cohen, who came to fame for his earlier persona of Ali G, has never actually been to Kazakhstan, Mr Aliyev told Kazakhstan-Today news agency:
"I would like to invite him to our country. Here he can make a number of discoveries: that women not only are allowed to sit inside buses, but drive their own cars; that our wine is made from grapes; and that Jews go freely to the synagogue."
Mr Aliyev also assured Sacha Baron Cohen that there was no danger of any "legal action," as the exasperated Kazakh government had threatened at one point last year.