Pakistan, Turkey to strengthen cultural collaboration & people-to-people exchanges

ANKARA, January 29: Pakistan and Turkey have agreed to take steps to further intensify cultural collaboration and people-to-people exchanges.
The resolve to deepen cooperation in the cultural and tourism fields was reaffirmed during the meeting between Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkey, Sohail Mahmood and the newly-appointed Turkish Minister for Culture and Tourism Mahir Ünal.
Ambassador Sohail Mahmood extended warm felicitations to Minister Ünal on his appointment and wished him a successful term.
Both sides reviewed follow-up on the decisions of the Working Group on Culture and Tourism, operating under the auspices of the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC), and agreed to fast-track the implementation process.
Among other things, it was decided to work closely for expediting the establishment of respective Cultural Centres, increasing collaboration between academic and cultural institutions of the two countries, organizing seminars on Iqbal, Rumi and Mehmet Akif Ersoy, and holding photography, painting and art exhibitions.
The commitment to have frequent exchange of delegations to promote respective tourism industries, strengthen interface between artists, and increase collaboration in the fields of cienma and music was also reaffirmed.-NNI