Many vistas for cultural collaboration with Pakistan: envoy

Islamabad: Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan have rich cultural heritage and tourism opportunities therefore joint ventures and collaborative initiatives through social and business interaction should be explored.

More than 23 thousand tourists visited Kyrgyzstan for sightseeing last year while more than 200 Pakistani businessmen were supported to participate in trade and business forums in Kyrgyzstan. More than 10 thousand Pakistani students are studying in Kyrgyzstan.

Ambassador Extraordinary of the Kyrgyzstan Republic to Pakistan Totuiaev Ulanbek Asankulovich said Tuesday while talking to the Devcom-Pakistan Executive Director and founder of Pakistan Mountain Festival Munir Ahmed who called on him.

Ambassador Totuiaev Ulanbek Asankulovich said Gilgit-Baltistan is the favourite place for the Kyrgyzstan nomadic tribes who regularly visit GB towns when harsh weather strikes their hometowns. About two Kyrgyz nomads still live in the high mountain towns in Pakistan. We have traditional routes for trade and tourism that we need to explore and revive again for socioeconomic benefits for both countries.

Devcom-Pakistan Executive Director and founder of Pakistan Mountain Festival Munir Ahmed briefed the Kyrgyz envoy about their climate change and mountain advocacy initiatives since 2002 – the International Year of Mountain. He said changing climate is the common enemy of all the living creatures on the planet earth especially its impact is more dangerous to the developing economies and marginalized mountain communities.

Ahmed thanked the Kyrgyz government for moving the resolution in the 2021 UN General Assembly to adopt 2022 as the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development. He said about four months of 2022 have passed but we see nothing on the rights of mountain communities and conservation of natural resources. He briefed the envoy about the eleven editions of the Pakistan Mountain Festival that was launched in 2005.

The annual flagship event of Devcom-Pakistan to mark the International Mountains Day (December 11). He said this festival is now recognized as the world’s largest festival of mountains and its communities. We have also launched Pakistan Mountains Youth Parliament in 2017, Pakistan Mountains Pride Awards, and Pakistan Mountains Ambassador in 2019.