Ambassador of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Kistafin on Thursday said direct air flights between Kazakhstan and Pakistan would start in May 2023, which would strengthen the economic connectivity between the two countries. The direct flights between Lahore and Almaty would not only increase economic ties, but also the people-to-people contacts, he said during a meeting with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Commerce and Industries Adnan Jalil here at his office. The ambassador said there would also be an increase in the promotion of tourism in both countries, which will further advance their relations. Both Pakistan and Kazakhstan were among the most beautiful countries and the tourism industry could become the wheel of their economies, he added. Ambassador Kistafin said the Turkestan region of Kazakhstan and the Northern areas of Pakistan were among the most beautiful regions of the world and events will be held this year to promote tourism in Kazakhstan-Turkestan, in which there will be a lot of potential for Pakistan as well. He said that for increasing bilateral trade relations between Kazakhstan and Pakistan, Business Communities and Chambers can play a very important role, which will increase the trade between the two countries. Kazakhstan’s Envoy said that last year “we had organized a single country business exhibition in which businessmen from Pakistan also participated.” This year, he said a business delegation will go to Kazakhstan with which the business community of Kazakhstan will discuss the promotion of mutual business and soon he will visit Peshawar and interact with the business community. The Ambassador said that Peshawar was the gateway to Central Asia and Peshawar was very important for mutual trade between Pakistan and Kazakhstan. He said that there is a need to further strengthen the economic and trade relations between Peshawar and the neighboring areas and Central Asia. Meanwhile, Minister of Commerce and Industry of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , Adnan Jalil said that Pakistan’s economic and trade links with Central Asia are very important. He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was close to the Central Asian states and there is cultural compatibility between the two sides. He said that we have centuries-old relations with Central Asia and trade caravans used to travel on both sides.He said that the government of KPK will play its full role in the economic and trade ties between Pakistan and Kazakhstan.