Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 24
By Seba Aghayeva - Trend:
Azerbaijan and Pakistan will sign a package of documents aimed at developing economic cooperation between the two countries, including an agreement on air communication.
"A big package of documents, which will cover different areas of the economic cooperation, has been prepared for the Pakistani president's upcoming official visit to Azerbaijan," Azerbaijani ambassador to Pakistan Dashgin Shikarov told Trend Feb. 24.
"The agreements on prisoner exchange, education cooperation, trade-economic cooperation and others are among the preliminary draft bilateral documents," he said.
The documents are planned to be signed during Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain's official visit to Azerbaijan, scheduled for March 11-14.
Moreover, the package of draft bilateral documents also includes an agreement on air communication, the diplomat said.
The two governments intend to resume Baku-Islamabad flights. Either the Azerbaijan Airlines will be entitled to make flights or the Turkish Airlines will initiate the Baku-Istanbul-Islamabad route in accordance with the agreement.
Special attention will be devoted to discussing the economic cooperation prospects between the two countries, raising the economic relations to a level of political relations during the negotiations as part of the Pakistani president's visit.
"A representative group of businessmen will accompany the Pakistani president during the visit to Baku," Shikarov said. "A business forum with participation of business people of the two countries will be held as part of the visit."
The diplomat said that there are great prospects for cooperation between the two countries in the economic sphere.
"Pakistan is among the world's three countries exporting textile, sports equipment, used in almost all sports competitions, European and world championships," he said. "Azerbaijani businessmen may be interested in trading of the goods in this category."
In general, the Pakistani president's forthcoming visit can contribute to the expansion of economic relations between the two countries, the diplomat said.
Azerbaijan intends to invest in this country's energy sector. The two countries plan to focus on strengthening the bilateral cooperation in trade and economic sphere, especially in the fields of energy and agriculture.
"Azerbaijan has huge oil and gas reserve, as well as experience in the energy sector," the diplomat said earlier. "Pakistan, for its part, has work experience in the spheres of agriculture and dairy production. Thus, both of the countries could cooperate in these spheres to further strengthen the bilateral relations."
The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Pakistan stood at $2.8 million as of 2014, according to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan.
The political relations between the two countries are at the highest level. Both counties have always supported each other on the international arena. Pakistan also supports Azerbaijan's position in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and condemns Armenia's aggressive policy.
Pakistan is the first country to adopt the resolution that strongly condemns the genocide committed by Armenian armed forces against the civilians of town of Khojaly and urges the international community to force Armenia to fulfill the resolutions of UN Security Council.
The Pakistani Senate recognized the events in Azerbaijan's town of Khojaly as genocide on February 1, 2012.
Pakistan fully supports Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and hasn't recognized Armenia as an independent state because of the occupation of Azerbaijani lands.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
On February 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops stationed in Khankendi committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly.
As a result of the massacre, some 613 people were killed, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. A total of 487 civilians became disabled as a result of the onslaught. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people remains unknown.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Edited by CN
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