PM Shehbaz, Field Marshal Asim Munir meet President of Azerbaijan

BAKU: Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Friday held a wide-ranging meeting with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev at the Presidential Palace, accompanied by Chief of the Army Staff, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, ARY News reported.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked President Aliyev for inviting him to attend Azerbaijan’s Victory Day celebrations, marking the country’s historic triumph in the 44-day Karabakh Liberation War against Armenia, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Extending warm felicitations to the government and people of Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister said the nation’s victory served as a “beacon of hope for all oppressed peoples striving for self-determination,” including those in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine.

Both leaders reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations and agreed to expand multi-dimensional cooperation between Pakistan and Azerbaijan in politics, trade and investment, energy, connectivity, and defence.

<span data-mce-type="bookmark" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span>
Prime Minister Shehbaz also invited President Ilham Aliyev to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience, a gesture graciously accepted by the Azerbaijani leader.

Acknowledging the progress achieved in the South Caucasus, the Prime Minister commended President Aliyev’s leadership and the landmark peace agreement signed with Armenia earlier this year.

President Aliyev, in turn, thanked Pakistan for its consistent and principled support during Azerbaijan’s struggle to liberate the Karabakh region. He also lauded Pakistan’s constructive role in promoting regional peace and stability in South Asia.

Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Baku at the invitation of President Aliyev to attend the Victory Day ceremony. Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ataullah Tarar also accompanied the Prime Minister.

The Pakistani delegation was received at Heydar Aliyev International Airport by Azerbaijan’s First Deputy Prime Minister Yagub Eyyubov, First Deputy Foreign Minister Fariz Razayev, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan Qasim Mohiuddin, and members of the diplomatic staff.