Islamabad, 20 August 2024 (TDI): Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan, Yerzhan Kistafin said on Tuesday that a direct flight from Kazakhstan to Skardu, a beautiful region of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), could not be ruled out, which would enhance bilateral tourism.
He said :”International flights have initiated recently from Skardu International Airport, after which we have an opportunity to boost bilateral tourism by launching this 1-hour duration direct flight from Kazakhstan to Skardu.”
He said that the ‘International Tourism Summit ‘would also be arranged by Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industryin Skardu.
The envoy said that people-to-people contacts of two nations would increase with this air connectivity initiative, which was the backbone of all ties, in addition to enhancing bilateral relations.
He said that for the promotion Pakistan Kazakhstan and Central Asia ties, there was a need to increase economic integration and enhance air and land links.
The ambassador said that mutual diplomatic, economic and trade relations between Pakistan and Kazakhstan were being strengthened with time.
He said that a bilateral deal has been reached for the promotion of transit trade and a lot of progress has been made on this, which would strengthen the economic relations and trade between the two nations.
Yerzhan Kistafin said that there was a need to exchange business delegations in order to strengthen bilateral ties.
The diplomat said that there was a need to work on the potential in GB including conventional tourism, medical and cultural adventure tourism, hydro-power, agriculture including fruits and food and water resources, mining and precious stones, minerals and natural resources and other sectors.
Yerzhan Kistafin added that the northern region of Pakistan was rich in natural beauty in which six major mountain peaks of the world were located.
He said that bilateral trade was far below its potential and more work was needed in this regard.
