Pakistan hails ‘very significant’ talks with Azerbaijan on regional linkages

Pakistan on Friday hailed the recent visit of Azerbaijan's economy minister and called it "very significant" to boost trade ties.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Hussain Andrabi, responding to a question from Anadolu during a weekly news briefing in Islamabad, said the Azerbaijani Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and held extensive talks on strengthening bilateral economic engagement.

"I can tell you that this meeting worked on investment in oil pipelines, energy projects, investment and other issues of regional connectivity, and, of course, the long standing brotherly fraternal cooperation in the strategic domain," he said.

Andarabi described the visit as "very important," stressing that both nations are committed to boosting economic ties and strengthening their partnership across multiple sectors.

"So this was a very important visit from the minister of economy, for us," he said.

Jabbarov visited Islamabad earlier this week and also met Pakistan's top diplomat Ishaq Dar.

Sharif in the meeting had reiterated Pakistan's proposal to establish a Pakistan‑Azerbaijan Joint Investment Company with equal contributions from both sides.

He also welcomed Azerbaijan's interest in the Oil Pipeline Project and encouraged Azerbaijani state company SOCAR to explore upstream oil and gas opportunities in Pakistan.