President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev is scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on July 11 for a two-day official visit to Pakistan at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

According to a Foreign Office press release, President Aliyev will hold meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during the visit.

“The two sides will engage in wide-ranging discussions on areas of mutual interest to further strengthen bilateral cooperation,” the statement said.

Several agreements and MoUs are expected to be signed during the visit, it added.

Last week, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Samir Sharifov arrived in Pakistan and held meetings with different ministers including Energy (Power and Petroleum) ministers and called on Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan.

Minister Jam Kamal Khan highlighted the Pakistani government’s dedication to forging robust economic relations with other nations. He emphasized that, over the past three months, the government has made significant strides in enhancing diplomatic and economic ties, achieving notable developments.

“Pakistan attaches great importance to its relationship with Azerbaijan. We must continue to advance our cooperation in various sectors including tourism, transport, energy security, and defence, though this requires additional efforts,” said Jam.

He also emphasized the need for an early conclusion of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and Bilateral Transit Trade Agreement (BTTA).

Deputy Minister Sharifov conveyed Azerbaijan’s readiness for closer cooperation with Pakistan across all fields of mutual interest.

Minister Jam also proposed to hold B2B meetings which may either take place in Pakistan or Azerbaijan. Both sides agreed on the necessity of a long-term and practical mechanism to enhance and monitor bilateral trade and cooperation to suggest ways forward to achieve the desired aim.

Sharifov highlighted the ease of travel between the two countries, noting that Azerbaijan received 55,000 Pakistani visitors last year due to its favourable visa policy.

He also mentioned that Azerbaijan is the first Central Asian country to initiate direct flights to Pakistan, facilitating greater connectivity.

On May 30, the foreign ministers of the two countries expressed strong commitment and resolve further to strengthen bilateral strategic relations between the two countries.

In a statement on X, the Foreign Office (FO) said that the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov met Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad.

“They reviewed progress on bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and global developments,” the FO had said.

Later addressing a joint news conference, Foreign Minister Dar said the two countries are taking measures to increase bilateral investment, especially in the energy sector.

On the occasion, the FM said the two countries will also enhance parliamentary exchanges, strengthen cultural cooperation and promote people-to-people contacts including between students, academia, businessmen and tourists.

In his remarks, the FM of Azerbaijan said his country’s position on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute has consistently supported the peaceful solution of the dispute in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

He also highlighted the potential that exists for the promotion of cooperation between the two countries in the areas of trade and economy.