ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reached Azerbaijan for a two-day official visit with an aim to boost bilateral ties in energy, banking, financial services and information technology sectors.

On his arrival at the Baku airport, the prime minister was received by First Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, Yagub Eyyubov; Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov; Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Pakistan Khazar Farhadov and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan Bilal Hayee.

This is PM Shehbaz’s first visit to Azerbaijan since assuming office, at the invitation of President Ilham Aliyev.

The PM will pay a visit to mausoleum of Azerbaijan’s national hero Heydar Aliyev, today (June 15). He will also visit the monuments of martyrs.

Focus on cooperation in energy, banking, finance and IT

Later, PM Shehbaz is expected to meet President Ilham Aliyev and both leaders will talk to the media.

Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif, Commerce Minister Syed Naveed Qamar, Information and Broadcasting Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister of State for Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik, and Special Assistant to the PM Tariq Fatemi are part of the prime minister’s entourage.

According to the Prime Minister Office (PMO), a ministerial delegation of Azerbaijan will also meet the prime minister to discuss bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade and energy.

Prior to his departure, the prime minister wrote on Twitter that his “visit is part of our government’s policy to strengthen bilateral cooperation and build win-win partnerships”.

He said other than expediting early finalisation of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), he would hold important talks with the Azerbaijani leadership to open up avenues of cooperation in energy, banking, financial services and IT sectors.

“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 [Central Asian Republics] to make Pakistan energy-secure,” the prime minister tweeted.

May 9 incident ‘shameful’

Separately, during an event in Islamabad, PM Shehbaz said that the incidents of May 9 had left the whole nation ashamed, adding that patriotic citizens could not even think of perpetrating anything of the sort and those involved in these incidents were enemies of the country.

He also assailed PTI chief Imran Khan, saying that while the ex-PM had built a narrative that his government was sent packing over a deal with Russia, their government had successfully brought a ship of Russian crude oil to Pakistan’s shores. He maintained that this shipment had been purchased at $15 per barrel less than the international price.

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2023