ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Kazakhstan on Wednesday agreed to expedite work on tourism and economic integration to open new avenues of bilateral cooperation.
The agreement to the effect was reached during a meeting between Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal and Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan Yerzhan Kistafin, a press release said.
Ahsan Iqbal said that both countries had a major role in regional economic integration, while bilateral tourism could open new avenues of cooperation between them.
He said that besides being the largest economy in Central Asia, Kazakhstan had geo-strategic significance also.
The minister said that tourism and sports could help strengthen bilateral ties and for which the two nations should frame comprehensive plans.
He said that Pakistan should nominate ten to fifteen best tour operators to work with their counterparts in Kazakhstan for the promotion of tourism.
Pakistan’s Role in Enhancing Connectivity
He added that Pakistan would have a main role to play in enhancing connectivity between Central Asia and Afghanistan through railways which would ultimately strengthen regional integration.
Ambassador Yerzhan Kistafin said that a 2-day sports tourism festival would be arranged in Almaty on May 23-24.
He said that the chess federations of the two countries were collaborating with each other, which was a step towards strengthening bilateral cooperation in indoor sports.
The envoy said that all major Pakistani logistics companies were planning to open offices in Kazakhstan as their representatives had visited the country for the purpose.
He said the direct flights between Lahore and Almaty had started in 2023. The duration of flight between the two cities is around two hours.
