Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 14
Trend:
Azerbaijan and Pakistan can work jointly to launch production in defense industry, said Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev making statements for the press after his meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif in Baku on Oct. 14.
He said a significant part of the discussions with Nawaz Sharif was dedicated to the cooperation in the military sphere.
President Aliyev said Azerbaijan and Pakistan have a very good cooperation in the military sphere, adding that today he and the Pakistani PM discussed the plans regarding the joint military drills of the two countries’ armed forces.
The Azerbaijani president noted that Pakistan has a very developed defense industry, and that the sides have thoroughly discussed the cooperation in this sphere.
The president reminded that Azerbaijan has been for nearly 10 years developing its defense industry, adding that the country wants to buy the most modern and high-tech weapons from Pakistan. He said there is understanding between the parties on this issue.
The president said he and Nawaz Sharif also mulled the cooperation in other sectors of the economy, particularly in agriculture and tourism.
Ilham Aliyev expressed hope that once the electronic visa system is implemented in Azerbaijan, it will be very easy for the Pakistani citizens to come to Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani citizens will enjoy the same opportunities in traveling to Pakistan.
The president further said the sides also had discussions on the opening joint pharmaceutical enterprises in Azerbaijan. Ilham Aliyev said this sphere is very developed in Pakistan, noting that Azerbaijan wants to develop this sphere too, as it is mainly dependent on imports.
The president said he and the Pakistani PM also mulled other issues of mutual interest, adding there is absolutely mutual understanding on all the issues between the sides.
He said this once again shows that the relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan are based on friendship and history.
Historically the peoples of Azerbaijan and Pakistan had contacts, they worked together, said the president, adding that there are numerous marks of the Pakistani culture in Baku.
Ilham Aliyev also said the current ties between the two countries are very important for regional security and cooperation.
The president said he believes that transportation is one of the issues to be dealt with in the future by the two countries, as the new transportation projects implemented by Azerbaijan jointly with its neighbors will create new opportunities for transportations from Asia to Europe and from north to south, and will open new routes.
Azerbaijan is located at the intersection of these transportation projects, he added.