Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan, Avazbek Atakhanov has said that Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan have a significant role in regional economic and trade integration due to their geo-strategic importance. Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan not only have importance in regional economic integration but also have huge significance in extra-regional connectivity in the future, the Ambassador said during a visit to Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) Head Office the other day. The Ambassador said that Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan’s role in regional economic and trade integration is Pivotal and Pakistan’s geostrategic position also has great significance to connect global manor markets. He said that Kyrgyzstan is an open and liberal economy which is always striving to promote investment and trade liberalization with global and regional markets. The Ambassador said that Pakistani businesses and investors should invest in the Kyrgyz market, Kyrgyzstan is becoming a hub of global trade in the future, from which Pakistani traders and investors can benefit. Kyrgyz envoy said that Kyrgyzstan can connect Pakistan with the Euro Economic Zone, in terms of economic and trade sphere, which will increase Pakistan’s trade. He said that Kyrgyzstan was an emerging economy that was not only connected with regional economies but also with China, Kyrgyzstan’s bilateral trade through $ 23 billion. The Ambassador said that Kyrgyzstan’s annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth had been increasing continuously year on year. Kyrgyzstan’s annual per capita income is 3000 per capita, which has been growing continuously for the past few years, and along with this, the poverty rate in Kyrgyzstan is continuously decreasing and the standard of living of the people has been increasing, he said.Pakistani travel guides The envoy said that Renewable energy, mining, gold, tourism, and agriculture are important sectors of the national economy in Kyrgyzstan, due to which the annual GDP has increased by 30 percent in the past years. He said that the Deputy Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan is visiting Pakistan from May 15 of the coming month, which will promote economic cooperation between the two countries. He said that Kyrgyzstan is a country with democratic traditions where civil society is very strong and vibrant. Responding to a question, the Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan said that CASA-1000 is an important and beneficial project for cooperation in the energy sector between the two countries. He said that work was underway on CASA -1000 and after its completion, Pakistan’s energy needs would be met to a large extent. The role of youth is very important in the present era and both countries should enlighten the youth about their historical heritage and mutual relations and should make them aware about each other’s culture, he said. Kyrgyz envoy said that the role of youth is significant in accelerating the relations between the two countries and “we should transfer our friendly relations and historical heritage to the next generation.” He said that Kyrgyzstan is an important country for tourism and the Kyrgyz government is constantly striving for modern facilities to promote tourism. He said that Kyrgyzstan is a country adorned with natural landscapes and there are vast possibilities for mutual cooperation in the tourism sector between Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan. The role of the media of both countries is important to highlight the tourism sector and there is a need for mutual awareness between the two countries in this regard, he said. Meanwhile, Kyrgyz Ambassador and Managing Director, Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) Muhammad Asim Khichi has agreed to promote assistance for technical support and bilateral media cooperation between the official news agencies of the two countries. On this occasion, the Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan gave suggestions regarding bilateral news exchange, technical support, training and capacity, information exchange and date sharing to highlight different potential sectors of the two countries and stressed on promoting mutual cooperation between the two news institutions in line with modern trends. He said that APP and Kyrgyz national news Agency, ‘KABAR’ play a significant role in promoting bilateral relations between the two countries, which needs to be further improved in the future. The Ambassador said that the role of the media is very important for highlighting the culture of Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan and each other’s countries, and in this regard, APP and the Kyrgyz national news Agency, ‘KABAR’ should work to promote bilateral culture. Meanwhile, Managing Director, APP, Muhammad Asim Khichi assured the Kyrgyz Ambassador of all kinds of cooperation and urged the national news agencies of both countries to move forward for further fruitful cooperation.