BAKU: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Monday expressed his willingness to visit Islamabad this April to formalize agreements on $2 billion investment projects in Pakistan.
The commitment was expressed during a meeting between Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and the Azerbaijani President in Baku.
The Prime Minister’s visit at the invitation of the Azerbaijani President highlights the deep, historical and brotherly relations between Pakistan and Azerbaijan.
President Ilham Aliyev warmly welcomed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif upon his arrival at the Zagulba Palace. A decorated contingent of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces presented a guard of honour to the Prime Minister.
The two leaders met and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in various fields. The two leaders reaffirmed the strategic partnership between the two countries and expressed satisfaction with the joint efforts to further strengthen the close and brotherly relations.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif noted with appreciation President Ilham Aliyev’s announcement of Azerbaijan’s $2 billion investment in Pakistan during his July 2024 visit to Pakistan and discussed potential projects that are ready for investment.
This was followed by delegation-level talks attended by key ministers and senior officials from both sides. Both sides expressed a strong desire to further deepen cooperation in all areas of bilateral relations.
Both sides expressed their agreement to further enhance bilateral trade and investment with a view to exploring joint investment projects in the areas of energy, infrastructure and connectivity. They noted that the current volume of bilateral trade is not commensurate with the true potential of excellent brotherly political relations and therefore agreed to increase bilateral trade.
Both leaders expressed satisfaction with the active cooperation between the two countries at multilateral forums, especially the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif appreciated Azerbaijan’s continued principled stand on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and its support for the right of self-determination of the Kashmiri people in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
The Prime Minister reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering support to Azerbaijan on Karabakh and expressed satisfaction that under the courageous leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan has liberated Karabakh, which has always been Azerbaijan’s rightful territory and has been ratified by several UN Security Council resolutions and international law.
Later, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and President Ilham Aliyev witnessed the ceremony of exchanging agreements and memorandums of understanding to promote cooperation in various fields.
The Pakistani delegation included Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan, Minister for Investment and Privatization Abdul Aleem Khan, Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Syed Tariq Fatemi.
