ISLAMABAD  -  Khazar Farhadov, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Pakistan, paid a courtesy visit to the office of the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Ahad Khan Cheema and en­gaged in discussions regarding matters of mutual interest.

Minister Ahad Cheema ac­knowledged the longstanding fraternal relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan, which have flourished since the in­dependence of Azerbaijan. He emphasized that while trade and cooperation between the two nations have progressed steadily, there remains a need to further strengthen people-to-people contacts. The ambas­sador echoed this sentiment and highlighted the significance of the resumption of direct flights between Azerbaijan and Pakistan, which will undoubt­edly bolster trade and tour­ism. The minister expressed appreciation for these efforts and reiterated the importance of robust economic relations between the two countries. He underscored that through the Joint Commission mechanism, both nations are collaborating across various sectors includ­ing trade and investment, de­fence industry, agriculture, en­ergy, health, transport, banking, tourism, sports, culture, and IT.

Furthermore, Minister Cheema informed that the Ministry of Economic Affairs is diligently monitoring the implementation of decisions taken during the 7th Ses­sion of the Pakistan – Azer­baijan Joint Commission. He expressed eagerness to host the next session of the Joint Commission in Pakistan at the earliest convenience. The ambassador concurred on the need for prompt convening of the Joint Commission this year in Pakistan. Both sides resolved to enhance coop­eration in key sectors such as business, banking, IT, tourism, energy, sports, health, and transport, and agreed to hold Joint Working Group meet­ings to expedite progress in these areas. Minister Cheema assured continued collabora­tion and extended gratitude to Mr Farhadov for his visit to the Ministry to discuss mat­ters of mutual interest. He pledged full assistance from his office for the prompt or­ganization of the next session of the Joint Commission. The meeting was attended by Ta­merlan Khalilov, Deputy Head of Mission of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Pakistan, and senior officials from the Min­istry of Economic Affairs.

Meanwhile, Pakistan and Azerbaijan on Thursday aimed to boost economic and trade ties by seeking finalization of a bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) to increase the bilateral trade between both of countries. Federal Min­ister for Commerce, Jam Ka­mal Khan, and Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Pakistan, Khazar Farhadov, met here on Thurs­day to discuss bolstering eco­nomic cooperation between the two nations, according to a press release issued here.

Minister Jam Kamal reiter­ated Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening commercial and economic ties, emphasizing the importance of people-to-people contact and the signing of the PTA to bolster trade vol­ume and create new business opportunities. Highlighting the historical, political, and economic ties shared by Paki­stan and Azerbaijan, Minister Jam Kamal emphasized the need to extend bilateral trade to its true potential by ad­dressing trade-related issues.

Minister Jam Kamal noted the increase in exports to Azerbaijan from $9.70 million in 2021-22 to $12.08 million in 2022-23, alongside a signif­icant rise in imports primarily due to fertilizers. Both coun­tries are actively negotiating a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), with finalized drafts.

Ambassador Khazar Far­hadov stressed the impor­tance of high-level visits to enhance bilateral relations and elevate trilateral coop­eration with Turkiye. He em­phasized the resumption of LNG supplies from Azerbai­jan to Pakistan and the poten­tial for mutual investments, particularly in energy and IT sectors. Notably, Azerbaijan exempted Pakistani rice from import customs duty until December 2027, signaling a gesture of goodwill.