Kathmandu, August 26:

The Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Buddhi Raj Bajracharya, has said that Esperanto — an artificial language — can help create a peaceful world by breaking barriers existing between speakers of different languages. Bajracharya was addressing the inaugural session of the fourth Asian Congress of Esperanto today. Stating that the world is dying for peace, Hori Yasuo, the president of the Commission of Asian Esperanto Movement, said Esperanto can be instrumental for peace.

The commission, the main organiser of the international event, is a part of the Netherlands-based Universal Esperanto Association, the prime association of all Esperanto speakers of the world. According to Yasuo, as the world is suffering from conflicts, the use of one international auxiliary language can bring oppositions together. “Esperanto cannot survive in unrest. It seeks pea-ce,” he said. After gaining popularity in Europe during the World Wars, it is trying to gain ground in Asia. Shree Prasad Shrestha, the coordinator of the local organising committee, said Asia could be the next centre of the Esperanto movement as Asians can visit the region — from Iraq to Japan — without troubles.