Representative of the President of Azerbaijan on Special Assignments Khalaf Khalafov, called on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, at the Prime Minister House on Friday and discussed matters of mutual interest.
Welcoming the Azerbaijani dignitary, the Prime Minister recalled the warm fraternal bonds between Pakistan and Azerbaijan and reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to further strengthen bilateral relations with Azerbaijan, in all areas of mutual interest.
He conveyed his warm greetings for President Ilham Aliyev, and praised him for his wise and sagacious leadership that had raised Azerbaijan’s global profile. He fondly recalled his numerous important meetings with President Aliyev, including at the Victory Parade in Baku last November. While noting that both sides were close to finalizing the agreement for USD two billion investment by Azerbaijan in Pakistan, the Prime Minister reiterated his invitation to President Aliyev to undertake an official visit to Pakistan, at his earliest convenience.
During the meeting, regional developments were also discussed. The Prime Minister stressed upon the need for Pakistan and Azerbaijan to coordinate regularly and closely, to ensure the realization of the shared objective of maintaining regional peace and security.
The Representative of the President of Azerbaijan conveyed President Aliyev’s warm greetings to the Prime Minister and lauded the Prime Minister’s vision and leadership that had brought Pakistan many successes, not only on the economic front but also in security and the diplomatic arena. He thanked Pakistan for standing solidly with Azerbaijan during the second Karabakh war and reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s longstanding position on Jammu and Kashmir.
The Representative also handed over a letter from President Aliyev to the Prime Minister, acknowledging the Prime Minister’s message of appreciation on the support provided by Azerbaijan for the establishment of Asaan Khidmat Markaz in Islamabad, inaugurated earlier this month.
Separately, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held meeting with the Representative of the President of Azerbaijan on Special Assignments Khalaf Khalafov and discussed matters of mutual interest.
During the meeting, Khalafov briefed DPM/FM on ongoing and forthcoming initiatives under Azerbaijan’s Chairmanship of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).
DPM/FM reaffirmed Pakistan’s full support for Azerbaijan’s leadership role in CICA and its efforts to promote regional cooperation and mutual understanding.
Both sides also discussed avenues for further strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two brotherly countries.