ISLAMABAD, JAN 10 /DNA/ – Pakistan and Romania enjoy great cordial and friendly relations based upon mutual trust and close cooperation.

In an effort to further strengthen the cultural and literary bond between the two nations, Policy institute for peace and development in collaboration with the Embassy of Romania and Bahria University organized a conference aiming the cultural diplomacy among the two countries under the topic “Allama Iqbal & Mihai Eminescu-cultural linkages between Pakistan and Romania” 

The aim of the conference was to pay tribute to the national poets of Pakistan and Romania and to highlight the uniqueness and the similarities among them, the conference was specifically organized to mark the cultural day of Romania which is the Birthday the Great Mihai Eminescu.

On the occasion Eduard-Robert Preda (Charge d’Affairs, Embassy of Romania) Thanked PIPD and Bahria University for organizing an event and paid tribute to Mihai Eminescu (The National poet of Romania), who was born on January 15, 1850.

He further said that every year on January 15, Romania celebrates cultural day on the Birthday of the Great Mihai Eminescu and highlighted its significance and emphasized that this day serves to promote Romanian culture both within the country and abroad.

H.E Eduard Robert Preda further added an overview of the legacy of the poet, and how positively he transformed the Romanian poetry, creating a distinct school of poetry that resonated strongly in the west, he also recited a poem of Eminescu in Romanian language in an effort to convey it in the proper intellect and Rhythm, offering a glimpse into the rich cultural tapestry of Romania, which was highly appreciated and liked by the audience.

On this occasion, President Policy Institute for Peace & Development Ms.Wadana Gul in her speech stressed upon the crucial role of cultural diplomacy and people to people contact in bringing the nations closer.

She expressed the dire need for cross-cultural collaboration between Pakistan and Romania both at the government and the public level to further enhance the ties and faster the already strong diplomatic relations.

Maj Gen (Rtd) Khalid Amir Jaffery further delved into the rich history of Romania, noting its resilience through various empires, including the Roman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Ottoman Empire. He shared the lesser known historical anecdote, Recounting how soldiers from the British Indian Army, Mainly from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, fought alongside the Romanian Army in World War 1.

Highlighting the diplomatic relations established in 1964, Maj.Gen Jaffery applauded the strong support Romania provided to Pakistan, particularly in matters such as the GSP plus issue, resulting in a significant 30% increase in Pakistan’s exports to Europe and further emphasized the vast potential for export and import between the two countries.

Stressing on the importance of people to people contact, Maj.Gen Jaffery also highlighted the significance of cultural understanding. He complimented Romania’s management of its multicultural society and advised for increased interactions and collaborations among the two nations.

Adding to the knowledgeable and the fruitful event, Mr Sahibzada Sultan Ahmed, Chairman Muslim Institute, highly appreciated PIPD for holding the conference and further nurtured the audience with the philosophy of Allama Iqbal. 

He further paid tribute to Allama Iqbal and explained the legacy of the national poet. 

Dean Department of social sciences Dr. Adam Saud Presented a scholarly point of view about the historical and the current Perspective of relations between Romania and Pakistan while exploring the new domains of cooperation and strengthening of bilateral ties.

He said that there exist a number of areas in which Romania and Pakistan can work jointly and mutually collaborate aiming to further strengthen the bilateral relation.

The students of Bahria University showed great interest and actively participated in the conference by translating the poems of Mihai Eminescu from English to Urdu language and recited them on the stage which was highly appreciated by Charge d’affairs H.E Eduard Preda and further motivated the students by distributing certificates among them.