On October 15 in Islamabad, Ambassador of Turkmenistan Atadjan Movlamov met Federal Minister for National Heritage and Culture Division Aurangzeb Khan Khichi to discuss deepening Turkmenistan Pakistan cultural cooperation and next steps for a bilateral programme.
The minister welcomed the ambassador and underscored the long-standing ties between the two countries rooted in shared history, religion and culture. He said the Government of Pakistan is ready to sign the Programme on Cooperation in the Field of Culture 2024–2026 between Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Culture and Pakistan’s National Heritage and Culture Division, a move that would give fresh momentum to Turkmenistan Pakistan cultural relations.
Both officials stressed the importance of strengthening people-to-people links alongside existing trade and business cooperation. The minister highlighted the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline as a vital regional project and noted that similar collaborative energy in culture and heritage could yield tangible economic and social benefits.
With direct flights taking less than two hours, the minister urged both sides to use improved connectivity to boost tourism and cultural exchange. He pointed to Pakistan’s civilisational heritage spanning more than 5,000 years, including Gandhara, Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, as areas rich for joint exploration and promotion under expanded Turkmenistan Pakistan cultural initiatives.
Plans were discussed for joint cultural festivals in Pakistan and Turkmenistan to showcase traditional art forms and crafts. The minister invited Turkmenistan to participate in Lok Mela 2025 at the Lok Virsa Complex in Islamabad from November 7 to 16, and the ambassador accepted, assuring a Turkmen delegation would attend.
The minister also proposed hosting a special cultural evening at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts featuring performances and exhibits of Pakistan’s heritage, and extended an invitation to the Turkmen ambassador and diplomatic community. Both sides agreed to nominate focal persons to expedite finalisation of the Memorandum of Understanding, with the ambassador pledging full cooperation to strengthen cultural and tourism ties.
Secretary of the National Heritage and Culture Division Asad Rehman Gillani described the forthcoming signing of the cultural cooperation programme as the start of a new era in people-to-people engagement. The proposed agreement envisages exchange programmes for artists and writers, exhibitions, conferences, joint artistic events, translation and publication of literary works, and collaborative seminars to preserve and promote shared heritage through sustained Turkmenistan Pakistan cultural partnership.
