PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Local Government, Elections and Rural Development Faisal Amin Khan Gandapur has said there are vast opportunities for enhancing friendly relations and trade activities between Pakistan and Azerbaijan. He assured the provincial government would endeavor to promote economic and trade relations between the two countries wherein concrete steps would be taken on a priority basis to enhance mutual contacts. He however acknowledged that increasing regional trade was the need of the time for boosting bilateral trade and stabilizing the national economies, which would further strengthen the fraternal ties between the two brotherly countries as well. He was speaking at an Iftar dinner hosted in the honor of visiting Azerbaijani Ambassador to Pakistan, His Excellency Khazar Farhadov at University Town Club Peshawar. Besides Provincial Minister for Finance and Health Taimur Saleem Jhagra, some other members of Provincial Assembly, Secretary Local Government and Rural Development Syed Zaheerul Islam Shah, Special Secretary to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Khaliq Kaka, Syed Zafar Ali Shah, MD, Small Industries Development Board, Secretary Local Council Board, Director General PDA and Regional, Town Municipal Officers, and Azerbaijani diplomats also attended the Iftar dinner. On the occasion, the Minister for Local Government discussed in detail issues of mutual interest and briefed the Azerbaijani ambassador on the geographical and political significance of the province, prevailing local government system, economic and tourism opportunities and ongoing development activities in the province especially in the newly merged districts. HE Khazar Farhadov thanked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and especially the Minister for Local Government for their excellent hospitality and invited the Chief Minister and the Minister for Local Government to visit Azerbaijan at the government level. Faisal Amin Gandapur said the provincial government highly valued the friendly ties with Azerbaijan. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa especially Peshawar is in fact a golden gate for bilateral trade not only with Afghanistan but also with all the Central Asian states including Azerbaijan while its historical background is a testimony to this fact. The Minister for Local Government said that as soon as the situation in Afghanistan improves, Pak-Afghan relations, the economic and trade relations with all Central Asian states including Azerbaijan, would increase significantly. He invited Azerbaijani investors to invest in various sectors of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and said that there are excellent investment opportunities in hydropower, oil, gas, minerals, precious stones, tourism, culture and many other areas. The Ambassador of Azerbaijan Khazar Farhadov said that his country attached great importance to increasing bilateral relations with Pakistan, especially with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He acknowledged that there are vast trade opportunities between Pakistan and Azerbaijan and that several working groups have been set up for this purpose. He also invited investors from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to invest in Azerbaijan and said that Azerbaijan is a very suitable country for foreign investors. He said that Pakistan has maintained friendly relations with Azerbaijan in a good way, especially on the issue of Armenia. Earlier the Azerbaijan ambassador and Minister for local government planted saplings at the lawn of the Town Club as a memorial of the friendship between the two brother countries whereas gifts and shields were also exchanged between the ministers and the Azerbaijani ambassador on the occasion.