Shehbaz Sharif leaves for Azerbaijan on two-day official visit

ISLAMABAD, June 14 (SABAH): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has left for Azerbaijan on a two-day official visit.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will meet Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev. Besides, a delegation of Azerbaijan’s cabinet members will also call on Shehbaz Sharif to promote bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the fields of trade and energy.

He is accompanying members of the federal cabinet including Syed Naveed Qamar, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Marryium Auranbzeb, Musadik Masood Malik and Syed Tariq Fatemi.

Meanwhile in a statement issued on twitter on Wednesday, PM Shehbaz Sharif said leaving for Azerbaijan today at the invitation of President Ilham Aliyev. The visit is part of our government’s policy to strengthen bilateral cooperation and build win-win partnerships.

PM Shehbaz Sharif said that other than expediting early finalisation of Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), I will hold important talks with Azerbaijani leadership to open up avenues of cooperation in energy, banking, financial services and IT sectors. He said that translating excellent bilateral political ties into a solid relationship of trade and investment remains a fundamental goal for us. Central Asia is central to our energy security policy and we are committed to stepping up the cooperation with CARs to make Pakistan energy-secure, PM Shehbaz Sharif said.

Meanwhile according to a statement issued by Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch on Tuesday said that at the invitation of President Ilham Aliyev, Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will undertake an official visit to Azerbaijan from 14-15 June 2023.

The ministers representing the priority areas of cooperation with Azerbaijan will be part of the Prime Minister’s entourage.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will hold wide-ranging talks with President Ilham Aliyev on key areas of cooperation including trade, investment and energy. Regional and global issues of mutual concern and cooperation in multilateral forums will also be discussed.

Pakistan-Azerbaijan relationship is embedded in commonalities of faith, culture and history, and strengthened by mutual trust and convergence of views on regional and global matters. Frequent leadership level exchanges highlight the bonds of friendship between the two countries and contribute to closer multifaceted cooperation for the mutual benefit of the people of Pakistan and Azerbaijan.