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Sunday, November 03, 2013
Pakistan, Korea celebrate 30 years of diplomatic tiesStaff Report
ISLAMABAD: The Embassy of Korea celebrated the “30th Anniversary of Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Republic of Korea” on Saturday.
Korea Ambassador Dr Jong-Hwan Song termed the celebration as a momentous occasion. He said both Pakistan and Korea shared history, decades of trust and a relationship that was mutually beneficial to millions of people. In 1983, many in Pakistan would not have known Korea, but today the two countries shared a strong and robust relationship, he said.
He said, “Our trade volume has grown more than 10 folds since the establishment of diplomatic relations and Korean companies are investing billions of dollars in Pakistan.”
“We owe a gratitude to successive ambassadors, diplomats, government officials, leaders and many friends in Islamabad and Seoul who supported the vision of establishing and improving our relations.”
He said the Korean government and the embassy were trying to boost cultural relations between the two countries.
Dr Song said, “In a few years, I would like to see billboards with images of Korea on Pakistani streets. I want to see my Pakistani friends in Korean cars and I want my Korean friends to enjoy Pakistani fruits.”
Information and Broadcasting Minister Pervaiz Rashid on the occasion stressed on the need for people to people contacts to further deepen the mutually beneficial relations between Pakistan and Korea. The minister said relations between Pakistan and Korea were centuries old as was evident from the Gandhara civilisation. He said Pakistan and Korea shared warm and friendly ties since the two countries recognised each other. This year, he said, both countries were celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.
Korea’s GongMyoung that combines traditional and contemporary music and Pakistan’s Faiz Ali Faiz who is a master of qawwali enthralled the audience with their performance.
The Pakistani and Korean musicians also performed together, producing a sprightly harmony.
This year, the Korean embassy is also participating in a film festival in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad from November 21 to 24, in which Korean movies will be screened.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk