ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday stressed the need to work with Azerbaijan to enhance trade and investment, energy cooperation, defence, connectivity, education and cultural exchanges, and people-to-people contacts.
The prime minister said he intended to send a high-level ministerial delegation to Baku to enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
He said Pakistan was also prepared to convene the Pakistan-Azerbaijan Joint Commission meeting early so that both sides could discuss cooperation in various fields.
The prime minister was talking to the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Pakistan, Khazar Farhadov, who called on him. The ambassador briefed the prime minister on the current state of bilateral relations, highlighting the recent inauguration of flights between Baku and Karachi and the flights already operating between Baku and Islamabad and Baku and Lahore.
He said that the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan was also expected to visit Pakistan later this month. He also briefed the prime minister on various institutional mechanisms and their upcoming meetings later this year.
While admiring Baku’s beauty, Prime Minister Shehbaz said he wanted to replicate Baku’s beautification in Islamabad and suggested that both cities could explore enhanced cooperation through a sister-city agreement.
He emphasized that Pakistan was critical to Azerbaijan as the two countries enjoyed excellent brotherly relations.
He greeted President Ilham Aliyev and fondly recalled their telephone conversation on Eidul Fitr.
He also recalled his interactions with the Azerbaijani leadership during his visit to Baku in June 2023. He reiterated his invitation to President Aliyev to undertake an official visit to Pakistan as soon as possible.
The prime minister congratulated Azerbaijan on being selected as the host city for the COP 29 Summit meeting that would be held in November 2024 and said he looked forward to receiving the Minister of Ecology of Azerbaijan next week, who would be carrying the formal invitation letter of the Azeri President for the COP 29 meeting.
He said that Pakistan wanted to enhance its fraternal relations with Azerbaijan and looked forward to President Ilham Aliyev’s soon visit to Islamabad.
