ISLAMABAD: Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Khazar Farhadov, has expressed his desire to strengthen economic relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan.
In a meeting with the business community in Islamabad, he highlighted the importance of Pakistan and Turkey as special friends to Azerbaijan and stated that Azerbaijan seeks to increase bilateral trade with Pakistan to a level similar to that of its trade volume with Turkey, which is approximately USD 6 billion.
Ambassador Farhadov also announced that Azerbaijan Airlines would soon start direct flights with Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad and is considering adding direct flights to the industrial and export centers of Pakistan.
This move is expected to further enhance bilateral trade between the two countries, as direct flights between Azerbaijan and Pakistan, operated by Pakistan International Airlines, have already increased trade threefold in 2022.
To encourage trade between the two countries, Azerbaijan has exempted Pakistani rice from customs duty on import. Ambassador Farhadov urged the Pakistani business community to take advantage of this exemption.
Both countries have formed working groups under the Joint Ministerial Commission to increase cooperation in various sectors, including agriculture, trade, banking, IT, tourism, transport, energy, and health.
Cooperation between Pakistan and Azerbaijan
The Ambassador suggested that the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) cooperate in identifying companies for these working groups so that the private sector could lead the promotion of bilateral cooperation in these sectors between the two countries.
In 2023, Azerbaijan will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Heydar Aliyev, the founder of the independent state of Azerbaijan. The Embassy of Azerbaijan, in collaboration with ICCI, is planning to organize a joint event on the founding role of Heydar Aliyev in the development of Azerbaijan-Pakistan relations.
During the meeting, ICCI President Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari stressed the need to explore new ways of increasing trade between the two countries, creating better awareness in the private sectors of both countries about each other’s markets, and finding new product lines and avenues of cooperation for enhancing trade volume.
He also emphasized the importance of regular exchange of trade delegations to explore all untapped areas of mutual cooperation.
ICCI also welcomed the establishment of direct air links between Pakistan and Azerbaijan, as it is expected to promote people-to-people and trade relations between the two countries.
The ICCI has assured its cooperation in promoting “Made in Azerbaijan” in Pakistan and hopes that the Ambassador will also cooperate in promoting “Made in Pakistan” in Azerbaijan to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.
