ISLAMABAD, SEPT 22 – (DNA): People associated with the hotel industry believe that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) significantly created huge opportunities benefitting the commercial entities on both sides of the border.

With the launching of CPEC in 2013, the visibility of the Chinese in public spaces has increased in the main cities of Pakistan.

” I have been running Kim Mun restaurant for over 20 years, back then we only had 8 tables but due to support from the local people and love for Chinese food, now we were able to expand it. said Zhang Guo Gen, the restaurant’s owner while talking to China Economic Net (CEN).

The restaurant in downtown of the federal capital is reopened and backed to business since the COVID-19 lockdown was eased by the government.

When asked about the response from local people being a Chinese in Pakistan, Zhang replied cheerfully “We have been living here as Pakistani for the past 30 years. Pakistani people are really friendly and welcoming, they never make you feel like an outsider.

When inquired from Zhang about the business in Pakistan during Covid-19 period he told the CEN that We take public health and safety very seriously, this pandemic is a serious problem and unfortunately we do not know when it’s going to end.

According to Zhang, business is not as good as It used to be during the pre-COVID period but now slowly people are becoming more confident at coming to the restaurant.

We take utmost importance in terms of hygiene and cleanliness to ensure customers satisfaction of coming to our restaurant for food.

On Pakistan’s handling of COVID-19 pandemic Zhang replied “I feel like the Pakistani government are doing a great job, I mean on a data perspective Pakistan is handling the pandemic really well.”

Pakistan as a country is very supportive in terms of new business but you have to understand who your target market is and just focus on it”. The Kim Mun owner advised his countrymen who are interested to run a food business in Pakistan.

The inflow of Chinese nationals has greatly helped hotels and the restaurant industry to grow. According to the data from The Capital Development Authority (CDA) there are around 15 Chinese restaurants in total in the city while 12 among them were opened after 2013.

In addition, many Pakistani restaurants located in the cities included in CPEC projects have incorporated famous Chinese dishes in their traditional Pakistani menus following the presence of Chinese citizens there. The introduction of Chinese food has given a fresh look to Pakistani dining tables.

NURSULTAN (DNA) – President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivered a statement  at the High-Level Meeting to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations. Here is the text of his statement.

“Today we commemorate the historic decision taken in June 1945 to create a totally new organization as an outcome of the most devastating World War in the history of mankind.

The United Nations as Dag Hammarskjöld famously underlined “was not created to bring us to heaven, but to save us from hell”.

Though conceived primarily as a system for collective security, the UN has in fact consolidated nations around much broader common aspirations and principles. The result has been an era of really active and broad international cooperation.

However, the path has not been easy. 75 years were overshadowed by missed opportunities to find a common ground in advancing our shared goals and values, to lessen suffering in the world.

But one learns from both failure and success. The history of the United Nations has been a period of intense collective efforts and rich learning: from decolonization to development, from child protection to climate change, from health to human rights, from peacekeeping to peacemaking.

Over the last three decades, Kazakhstan has participated in endeavours of every major UN body – including the Security Council – in pursuit of a range of priorities including conflict resolution, non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament, combatting terrorism, interfaith and interethnic dialogue, as well as promoting the interests of Land Locked Developing Countries.

When we look around us today, many new challenges – and some old recurring ones – threaten to drag us back in time.

Multilateralism now faces greater risk than at any point since the end of the Cold War.

COVID-19 has proven surprisingly difficult to be overcome. A second arms race looms. Our strategic development goals are suffering setbacks.

Some argue that the ideals enshrined in the UN Charter are no longer realistic.

As President of my country and former senior manager of the UN I strongly disagree.

More than ever,

We must give rein to the horse of our hopes, not pull back out of fear.

We must galvanize efforts in pursuit of those shared ideals, not abandon them.

We must continue to build a rules-based community, not return to lawlessness.

This will not be easy. The next decade is crucial as we strive to implement the 2030 Agenda and simultaneously meet the crises of our time.

This formidable goal demands a common endeavour and responsibility.

We commend strong leadership by Secretary-General António Guterres, and support his ongoing work to boost effectiveness, transparency and accountability of the UN.

Kazakhstan adds its voice in a clear statement of commitment to the UN mission and Charter, and to the shared aspiration of building a more peaceful, just and prosperous world.

I am convinced that the United Nations as a single universal and most representative international organization is indeed indispensable.

Thank you”.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Mr. Nasser Bourita, stressed,that the compromises born from the meetings of the two delegations of the Libyan High Council of State and the Tobruk Parliament have confirmed the Kingdom’s belief that Libyans are capable of finding solutions to their problems 

DNA

BOUZNIKA- The delegations of the Libyan High Council of State and the Tobruk Parliament announced in Bouznika, at the end of their meetings as part of the Libyan dialogue, that they reached a comprehensive agreement on the transparent and objective criteria and mechanisms to occupy the posts of Sovereignty.

Both parties also agreed to continue this dialogue and to resume these meetings during the last week of this month in order to complete the necessary measures to ensure the implementation and activation of this agreement, said the final joint statement read by Driss Omran of the Libyan House of Representatives, in the presence of Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Mr. Nasser Bourita.

The two parties to the dialogue called on the UN and the international community to support Morocco’s efforts to create the right conditions and a conducive climate to achieve a comprehensive political solution in Libya, reiterating their thanks and gratitude to the Kingdom and His Majesty King Mohammed VI, May God Assist Him, for the support and assistance to overcome the Libyan crisis and achieve the hopes of the Libyan people and their aspirations to build a civil and democratic State that enjoys peace, security and stability.

They also affirmed that their meetings, which took place in “a friendly and fraternal atmosphere marked by understanding and consensus”, were held as a result of their awareness of the current situation in the country, at different levels, an extremely dangerous situation threatening the security, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the State, born of negative foreign interventions that revive wars and regional and ideological alignments.

Both parties also stressed that these meetings take place in application of Article 15 of the Libyan political agreement reached in Skhirat and in confirmation of the conclusions of the Berlin conference supporting the political solution and on the basis of the relevant Security Council resolutions, and are explained by their awareness of the dangerous repercussions arising from the political and institutional division which has caused the citizen to lose confidence in the role of the legislative, executive and control institutions due to the poor living conditions at all levels.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Mr. Nasser Bourita, stressed,that the compromises born from the meetings of the two delegations of the Libyan High Council of State and the Tobruk Parliament have confirmed the Kingdom’s belief that Libyans are capable of finding solutions to their problems without tutelage or influence as they are able to determine the interest of Libya and the way to serve it.

Speaking shortly before the reading of the final joint statement issued at the end of the meetings of the two delegations within the framework of the Libyan dialogue, Mr. Bourita noted that the Kingdom has always been convinced – which was also confirmed during the Bouznika meetings – that the High Council of State and the House of Representatives are the cornerstone for any progress towards finding solutions to issues concerning the Libyan crisis.

He also stressed that the important compromises reached by the two delegations regarding the appointment to the posts of sovereignty are not a mere declaration of intentions or recommendations, but rather compromises and concrete decisions about institutions and issues that have a direct impact on the daily life of the Libyan people.

The Minister further congratulated the two delegations on these compromises, considering that the institutions subject to these decisions symbolize the unity of the State and that the unification of these institutions is an essential element of any future solution to the crisis in Libya.

He also praised the positive atmosphere and the spirit of fraternity and responsibility that reigned during these meetings, where the interest of Libya and its people took precedence over any other consideration. He also welcomed the compromises “which augur well and bring good news” to the Libyans.

In addition, Mr. Bourita expressed his thanks to all the countries and regional organizations that expressed their support for the Libyan dialogue in Bouznika and the efforts of both delegations to reach compromises.

ISLAMABAD : Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday has termed the Kashmir and Palestine disputes as the United Nation’s (UN) most glaring and long-standing failures.

Virtually addressing the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations in New York, the foreign minister said the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IoK) still await the fulfillment of UN’s commitment made to them for granting them their long-sought right to self-determination.

Referring to the UN’s role, Qureshi said that the global body addressed a historic need “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”, to “reaffirm equal and fundamental rights of men and women and nations large and small”, and to “promote better life in larger freedoms”.

The minister went on to say that, today, the UN resolutions and decisions are flouted; international cooperation, especially in the Security Council, is at its lowest; force is threatened with abandon; critical treaties and covenants – designed to promote the development and protect the globe’s fragile environment – are discarded.

FM Qureshi, according to the report, pointed out that the very forces that led to the Second World War, racism and fascism are taking the shape of rising xenophobia and Islamophobia.

He said while we have seen enormous international cooperation to combat COVID-19, it has failed to unify humanity as it could have.

Underlining Pakistan’s contributions to the world body, Qureshi said Pakistan remains an ardent believer in multilateralism and the indispensability of the United Nations and has contributed over 200,000 troops to 47 Missions in 26 countries, losing 157 of our bravest in the process.

He added that the country has also hosted the largest protracted refugee population.