ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit Central Asian countries in the current month and sign agreements worth $2 billion with Azerbaijan for investment in Pakistan.
Federal Minister for Board of Investment, Privatisation, and Communications Abdul Aleem Khan called on Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov in Baku.
While discussing various matters of mutual interest, Abdul Aleem Khan discussed the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Central Asian countries, which is already scheduled for this month of February. Aleem Khan said that there are huge investment opportunities in Pakistan, including in the privatisation of state-owned entities (SOEs), while Azerbaijan can also put its share in motorways and various other sectors of Pakistan, for which all possible cooperation will be extended.
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Welcoming the Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan and the Pakistani delegation, Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov said that the two countries are connected with each other through a strong bond of brotherhood, which will further be strengthened in the coming days. He appreciated recent developments in various sectors of Pakistan and assured his support for increasing investment and mutual cooperation by Azerbaijan for the Pakistani people. It was emphasised that following the state visit of the president of Azerbaijan to Pakistan last year, interstate relations have entered a qualitatively new stage. Both sides also discussed the development prospects of Azerbaijan-Pakistan strategic partnership relations in economy, trade, investment and other areas of mutual interest.
A Pakistani delegation led by Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan held sessions with the Ministers of Investment, Transport, Energy, and Economy in Baku, Azerbaijan. Those who held meetings with Abdul Aleem Khan included Azerbaijan’s Energy Minister Pervez Shahbazov, Transport Minister Rashad Nabiyev, Deputy Minister of Economy Samad Bashiri, and the President of the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan Rovshan Najaf. In these meetings, bilateral issues of mutual trade and investment between Pakistan and Azerbaijan and investment in various sectors, including Motorways in Pakistan, were discussed in detail. Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan said that Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will visit Central Asian countries this month while agreements worth $2 billion will be signed with Azerbaijan for investment in Pakistan. They also discussed the privatisation of government-run enterprises and other investment issues. The Azerbaijani ministers warmly welcomed the Pakistani delegation and assured them of all possible cooperation. SIFC Coordinator Lt. Gen. Sarfaraz Ahmed, Federal Secretary Petroleum Momin Ali Agha, and senior officials from Pakistan assisted Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan in these meetings. President of the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Baku, Rovshan Najaf, also held a meeting with Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan and discussed matters on enhancing bilateral cooperation and increasing mutual trade. During this visit, the pace of work on various memorandums of understanding between the two countries was also reviewed, and special discussions were held on trade corridors, rail, and other means of communication from Pakistan to the Central Asian states.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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