09 July 2004	Friday	20 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

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BAKU, July 8: President Pervez Musharraf, on the first day of his state visit to the Muslim former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, said on Thursday that the two countries had agreed to work together on issues including the Kashmir dispute , Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"The unique character of our political relations is that we always understand each other and support each other," President Musharraf told a press conference after talks with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev.

"That finds expression in the Kashmir...problem," he added. "In international questions our positions are also close and on issues of the Islamic world, like the Palestine question, questions of Iraq and Afghanistan, we have agreed to coordinate our actions in the future."

General Musharraf reciprocated Azerbaijan's backing for Pakistan over Kashmir by saying that his country backed Baku's efforts to regain control over Karabakh, which is under Armenian control.

"The occupation of Azerbaijan's regions worries Pakistan and in this question we will constantly support Azerbaijan," he said. After talks between the Pakistani and Azeri heads of state, the two leaders and their officials signed a series of agreements covering tourism, customs and combating the drugs trade and international terrorism.

President Musharraf said his country was also interested in tapping into Azerbaijan's oil industry expertise - the country is rich in crude and has been extracting oil for nearly a century - to help Pakistan exploit its own energy resources.

"Azerbaijan has great experience," the president told reporters. "We want to use that experience, create joint ventures and work together with Azerbaijan." Azeri President Aliyev said on the occasion: "Pakistan and Azerbaijan support each other on all international and regional issues."

He said Azerbaijan supports Pakistan's stand on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute while "Pakistan supports us on the issue of Nagorno Karabakh. "We believe that these two issues should be settled according to international and UN resolutions," he said.

Earlier, the two leaders held one-to-one meeting during which they expressed the desire to strengthen Pakistan-Azerbaijan relations. They also exchanged views on regional and international issues of common interest.

The meeting was held after Musharraf arrived in the oil-rich former Soviet republic on a two-day visit. Pakistan is keen to sell its military hardware to Azerbaijan and wants to benefit from Azerbaijan's sizable oil and gas resources.

As he landed near Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, Musharraf was received by Prime Minister Artur Rasizada. The visit is taking place amid tight security. President Musharraf briefed the Azeri leader on Pakistan-India peace process and the importance of finding an acceptable solution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute for lasting peace in South Asia.

During the formal talks, the two sides explored ways of broadening their economic relations. On arrival at the Presidential Palace, the Pakistani leader was accorded a warm welcome at a state ceremony.

The Azeri president told reporters ahead of President Musharraf's arrival that his country attached 'great importance' to the visit. "I hope the visit will give a new impetus to our relations and lift them to a new level," he said.

Azerbaijan, which borders Iran and Russia, has in recent years emerged as a steadfast ally to Pakistan. Pakistani and Azeri diplomats have an informal pact to back each other when their conflicts with their neighbours come up for discussion in international forums like the United Nations.

The two sides concluded a military pact last year. Details are sketchy, though it is known that Azeri officers are training in military academies in Pakistan. Ahead of Musharraf's visit, an advance party headed by Pakistan's Minister for Energy and Natural Resources Chaudhry Nauriz Shakoor Khan has been in Azerbaijan thrashing out agreements with Azeri officials.

"If Azerbaijan has spare oil and gas and Pakistan has demand for them then we can buy them," said Mr Khan. "We can also offer Azerbaijan military technology." He said other agreements would pave the way for Pakistani businessmen to invest in Azerbaijan's agriculture and tourism sectors, and that Urdu - Pakistan's official language - would soon be taught at Baku State University.

President Musharraf is scheduled to fly out of Azerbaijan on Saturday morning. On Friday he is due to address a special session of the Azeri parliament, go on walkabout around Baku and attend a concert in his honour at the State Philarmonic Hall.

The president reached Baku from Helsinki after concluding his visit to two Scandinavian countries, Sweden and Finland, where he had explored ways to augment Pakistan's trade and economic ties with powerful EU member states. -Agencies

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