PM Shehbaz arrives in Baku on two-day official visit

BAKU: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday arrived in Baku on a two-day official visit to Azerbaijan at the invitation of President Ilham Aliyev, ARY News reported.

Upon his arrival, the prime minister was warmly welcomed by First Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Yagub Eyyubov, Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Pakistan Khazar Farhadov and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan Bilal Hayee.

It is the maiden visit of PM Shehbaz Sharif to Azerbaijan after assuming his office.

On Thursday (tomorrow), the prime minister will visit the tomb of Heydar Aliyev, a national leader of Azerbaijan and lay a wreath. He will also pay a visit to the martyrs monument.

The prime minister will meet President Ilham Aliyev and both the leaders will later talk to the media.

A delegation of Azerbaijan ministers will also call on the prime minister to discuss the bilateral cooperation between the two countries in trade and energy sectors.

Pakistan issued two tenders seeking spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes for the first time in nearly a year on Tuesday, while also announcing a deal that will see Azerbaijan provide the country with one LNG cargo per month.

Dependent on gas for power generation and running short of foreign exchange to pay for imports, the country has struggled to procure spot cargoes of LNG after global prices spiked last year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, leaving it to face widespread power outages.

However, Asian spot LNG prices this year have eased from record highs of $70/mmBtu hit in August, and are now trading below $10.

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Pakistan LNG, a government subsidiary that procures LNG from the international market, has one tender seeking six cargoes on a delivered-ex-ship (DES) basis to Port Qasim in Karachi in October and December, according to the tenders posted online.

The delivery windows are Oct. 5-6, 20-21 and 31, and Dec. 7-8, 13-14 and 24-25. The tender will close on June 20.

Pakistan LNG’s second tender seeks three cargoes, also on DES basis to Port Qasim, for delivery windows of January 3-4, 28-29 and February 23-24. The second tender closes on July 14.

Pakistan LNG last issued a tender seeking 10 spot cargoes in July 2022, but it received no offers.