ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi said that there is a need to expand the bilateral volume of trade and further promote cultural and commercial cooperation between Pakistan and Azerbaijan. The president expressed these views, while talking to the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov, who called on him, at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on Thursday.

He said that Pakistan highly values its relations with Azerbaijan, which are based on common faith, and historic and cultural linkages. The president congratulated the government and people of Azerbaijan over the liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh, and reaffirmed Pakistan's support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. He appreciated Azerbaijan's role as a member of the OIC Contact Group on Kashmir and thanked Azerbaijan for its support to the cause of the people of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The president expressed the hope that the successful conclusion of the 2nd meeting of Pakistan-Azerbaijan-Turkey Trilateral Dialogue, at Islamabad, would give impetus to growing trilateral ties and open new avenues of cooperation among the three brotherly countries.

The Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov, said that Pakistan and Azerbaijan had great potential for increasing trade and cultural cooperation. He thanked the Government of Pakistan for supporting Azerbaijan's stance on Nagorno-Karabakh. He stated that his country would continue to stand by Pakistan on Kashmir issue at all international fora.

President Dr Arif Alvi also lauded the role of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation for the welfare of persons with disability by providing them 100 wheelchairs. He remarked that Heydar Aliyev Foundation, under the patronage of the First Lady of Azerbaijan, was performing commendable humanitarian services in Pakistan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021