AKIPRESS.COM - President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev met with participants of the 80th Pen International Congress on October 1, which is taking place in Bishkek.

Representatives of the PEN International offered President Atambayev to start translation of contemporary works of Kyrgyz writers into foreign languages. The President supported this idea and promised all possible assistance in this process.

“Every person, especially a writer, has a right to defend his or her point of view on any issue. We live in a very dynamic time. Humankind faces severe problems and challenges. But each country and any government should accept existing realities and address problems in view of interests of people, not just part of it,” the President said.

President Atambayev wished a productive work to the Congress attendees and success in their literary work, integration and mutual enrichment of national cultures, building conditions for better understanding and respect between people and countries.

PEN International is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual cooperation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous International PEN centers in over 100 countries.

The annual PEN International Congress is an opportunity for leading and emerging contemporary literary voices to meet and discuss pressing threats to freedom of expression, debate, exchange ideas and stories.

Themed “My language, my story, my freedom”, this year’s Congress will provide a platform for writers from the region and across the globe to discuss regional literature, linguistic rights and the interlinked roles of literature, journalism and freedom of expression.

Panel discussions will focus on universal linguistic rights and ethno-linguistic diversity, violence and propaganda and literary traditions.