ISLAMABAD ( WNAM REPORT ): The OIC Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) hosted farewell at its Secretariat in Islamabad in honour of the outgoing Ambassadors of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Kazakhstan to Pakistan, recognizing their outstanding contributions to strengthening bilateral relations with Pakistan and advancing cooperation with COMSTECH in science, technology, higher education, research, innovation, and capacity building.
The farewell brought together members of the diplomatic corps, senior government officials, vice chancellors, eminent scientists, academicians, and distinguished guests from OIC Member States, observer states and friendly countries. Among those in attendance were the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of Turkmenistan, ambassadors and representatives from Tajikistan, Thailand, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yemen, Nepal, Rwanda, Mauritius, Jordan, Qatar, Iraq, Malaysia, Bangladesh, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the British High Commission, and other diplomatic missions.
Speaking on the occasions, Coordinator General OIC-COMSTECH, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, paid tribute to H.E. Mr. Yerzhan Kistafin, Ambassador of Kazakhstan, and H.E. Mr. Khazar Nadir Farhadov Ambassador of Azerbaijan, for their exceptional contributions to strengthening scientific and diplomatic relations between Pakistan and their respective countries.
Highlighting cooperation with Kazakhstan, Prof. Choudhary said Ambassador Kistafin had played a pivotal role in transforming bilateral scientific engagement into a vibrant institutional partnership. During his tenure, COMSTECH and Kazakhstan successfully launched a number of landmark initiatives, including the OIC-15 Dialogue Platform the Global Al-Farabi Forum the Al-Farabi-Iqbal International Forum in Almaty, the Pakistan-Kazakhstan Alumni Forum COMSTECH-IOFS Fellowships in Food Security, and a series of international workshops on climate-resilient agriculture, biosafety, biosecurity, artificial intelligence, big data and data security. He also appreciated Kazakhstan’s active participation in the COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence as well as the expansion of academic collaboration between leading universities and research institutions of both countries.
Prof. Choudhary further noted his close academic association with Kazakhstan as President of the Pakistan-Kazakhstan Alumni Forum and the Al-Farabi and Iqbal Forum describing these platforms as important bridges for strengthening academic mobility, scientific cooperation, cultural understanding and people-to-people contacts between Pakistan and Kazakhstan.
Paying tribute to Ambassador Farhadov, Prof. Choudhary appreciated his unwavering support in expanding cooperation between Azerbaijan and COMSTECH. He particularly recalled the visit of a high-level delegation from the Institute of Botany of Azerbaijan to the COMSTECH Secretariat, which opened new avenues for collaboration in plant sciences, biodiversity, higher education and scientific research. He also acknowledged the Ambassador’s support in strengthening partnerships between Azerbaijani universities and COMSTECH’s network of universities under the COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence promoting academic exchange, joint research and institutional collaboration.
Prof. Choudhary said both ambassadors had remained steadfast friends of COMSTECH and consistently supported initiatives aimed at promoting science diplomacy, academic mobility, research collaboration and capacity building across the Muslim world. He emphasized that science, education and innovation have become powerful instruments for peace, sustainable development and shared prosperity among OIC Member States.
As a token of appreciation, Prof. Dr. Choudhary presented Certificates of Appreciation to Ambassadors Yerzhan Kistafin and Khazar Nadir Farhadov in recognition of their distinguished diplomatic services and valuable contributions to advancing cooperation with COMSTECH during their tenure in Pakistan.
Expressing their gratitude, both ambassadors thanked COMSTECH and Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary for the warm hospitality, friendship and close institutional partnership extended throughout their assignments in Pakistan. They highly appreciated COMSTECH’s leadership in promoting science, technology, higher education, research, innovation and human resource development across OIC Member States, and expressed confidence that cooperation between COMSTECH and their respective countries would continue to grow in the years ahead.
The receptions concluded in an atmosphere of friendship and mutual respect, reaffirming the enduring partnerships between Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan and reflecting COMSTECH’s continued commitment to strengthening science diplomacy, academic cooperation and international scientific collaboration across the Muslim world.
