Pakistan, Azerbaijan agree to enhance trade, energy cooperation & start Baku-Islamabad flights

BAKU (APP) - Pakistan and Azerbaijan on Thursday agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in the fields of energy, trade and aviation sectors to reflect the decades-old strong relationship between the two nations.

The bilateral relations were discussed at length in a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev here at Zugulba Palace.

The prime minister, accompanied by a high-level delegation is on a two-day official visit to Baku at the invitation of President Aliyev.

At a joint press stakeout following their bilateral meeting, the two leaders told the media of agreeing to introduce flights of Azerbaijan airline between the two capitals, enhance number of military exercises, besides exploring the avenues of cooperation in the areas of energy, investment and education.

Prime Minister Shehbaz, who earlier visited the mausoleum of Azerbaijan first president Haider Aliyev and the martyrs monument, spoke high of the President Ilham Aliyev’s leadership to build the city’s infrastructure and impressive horticulture.

Citing the 'pleasant surprises' of neatness and beauty of Baku, the prime minister requested the Azerbaijan president to lend their experts in horticulture and waste management to Islamabad.

He told the media that during the 'wonderful' discussion, there was a 'total unanimity' of views on various bilateral and multilateral issues as the relationship was built on mutual trust and sincerity of purpose.

The prime minister said that the Pakistani flags all across Baku manifested the love between the two people.

“Though our ties are so strong since ages, these do not reflect its intensity through trade and investment, exchange of visits and other important areas of cooperation,” the prime minister remarked.

Emphasizing cooperation in the energy sector, he said that being an energy-deficient country, Pakistan depended upon costly imported fuels spending US$27 billion last year which was becoming unaffordable owing to the challenges of imported inflation and oil price hike due to the Ukraine crisis.