Pakistan, Azerbaijan vow to deepen partnership
BAKU – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday held a wide-ranging meeting with President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev here at the Presidential Palace flanked by Chief of the Army Staff, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked President Aliyev for inviting him to attend Azerbaijan’s Victory Day celebrations, which commemorate the country’s historic triumph in the 44-day Karabakh Liberation War against Armenia, a Prime Minister’s Office news release said.
Extending warm felicitations to the government and people of Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister said the nation’s victory stood 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.
The two leaders discussed the full spectrum of bilateral ties and agreed to enhance multi-dimensional cooperation between Pakistan and Azerbaijan in the areas of politics, trade and investment, energy, connectivity, and defence.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also invited President Ilham Aliyev to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience, a gesture graciously accepted by the Azerbaijani leader.
Acknowledging the progress made in the South Caucasus, the Prime Minister lauded President Aliyev’s leadership and his signing of the landmark peace agreement with Armenia earlier this year.
President Ilham Aliyev, in turn, thanked Pakistan for its unwavering support during Azerbaijan’s just struggle to liberate the Karabakh region. He also commended Pakistan’s constructive role in fostering regional peace and stability in South Asia.
PM welcomes Google’s investment, office setup in Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has welcomed the establishment of offices and investment by Google in Pakistan.
In a statement, he said the establishment of an assembly line for Google products in Haripur is a welcome development.
The Prime Minister said International IT companies like Google are expressing confidence in the government’s policies to promote ease of doing business and investment in Pakistan.
He said local manufacturing of IT products will not only make them cheaper for Pakistani consumers, but developing export industry of these products will help increase the country’s foreign exchange.
The Prime Minister said making Pakistan a digital nation has been his government’s top most priority.
He said the government is taking all possible steps to empower youth in the IT sector, and the MoU with Google for IT training is part of these measures.
The Prime Minister said federal government is providing laptops to one hundred thousand talented youth to equip them with resources to progress in this sector.
He said IT training programs for youth and women continue across the country with an aim to enhance their competitiveness in the international service industry and making them financially self-sufficient. The PM said efforts are underway to make Pakistan a hub of information technology in the region. He commended the efforts of the Federal Minister for Information Technology and her team for the development of the IT sector in the country.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday arrived Baku to attend the Victory Day ceremony of Azerbaijan at the invitation of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ataullah Tarar is also accompanying the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister was received at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku by First Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Yagub Eyyubov, First Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Fariz Razayev, Ambassador of Pakistan to Azerbaijan Qasim Mohiuddin, and diplomatic staff.
During the visit, he will also hold a bilateral meeting with President Ilham Aliyev.
