Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will head to Azerbaijan today on a two-day official visit, the Foreign Office (FO) said.
In a statement, the FO said the premier would undertake the visit to participate in events being held in connection with the fifth anniversary of Victory Day, which commemorates Azerbaijan’s triumph in liberating its territories from Armenian occupation.
The statement said that PM Shehbaz was undertaking the visit at the invitation of Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev. “During the visit, the prime minister will attend the official Victory Day celebrations and hold a meeting with President Ilham Aliyev,” the FO said.
“Discussions will focus on reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations and identifying new avenues to further deepen cooperation in diverse sectors, including trade and investment, energy, defence, education, and regional connectivity,” it added.
The FO added that Pakistan and Azerbaijan enjoy “long-standing fraternal relations, rooted in shared faith, history, culture, and mutual trust”.
“The visit by the prime minister will reaffirm Pakistan’s steadfast support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and to further advance the strategic partnership between the two brotherly nations,” the FO concluded.
The premier had visited the Central Asian country earlier this year in May while on a four-nation tour. He had met the Azerbaijan president and the two had renewed their pledge to diversify the strategic partnership through investment in mutually beneficial avenues.
President Aliyev had also called PM Shehbaz in August and expressed his appreciation for Pakistan’s consistent support on the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh.
