The Russian embassy announced Friday that a monument to Yuri Gagarin, the first man to travel to space and return, was unveiled in Islamabad’s Fatima Jinnah Park.
Gagarin became the first man in space in April 1961, when he uttered the famous words “Let’s go” as his Vostok rocket took off from southern Kazakhstan. After a trip that lasted just 108 minutes, the 27-year-old cosmonaut ejected from his capsule and parachuted into a field in the Saratov region of central Russia.
According to a post on
“This is the greatest feat in our common history. A large number of scientists are engaged in space research. May this work benefit all countries of the world,” the statement read, quoting Tsivilev.
The publication added that the inauguration was timed to coincide with the 10th meeting of the Russia-Pakistan Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation.
The embassy expressed its gratitude to the International Charitable Fund “Dialogue of Cultures-United World” for providing a bust of Gagarin, to the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange for its support in installing it, and to the Pakistani authorities for their help in this project.
Tsivilev also announced that a Russia-Pakistan conference on cosmonautics and space infrastructure will be held in Islamabad next year.
