Azerbaijan and Pakistan hold fraternal relations - Ambassador

Pakistan and Azerbaijan are more than friends, they are brothers,” said Dashgin Shikarov, Ambassador of Azerbaijan.

He was speaking at a roundtable on “Pakistan-Azerbaijan Relations” organized by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) here on Friday to commemorate the contribution of former president of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, to the Pak-Azerbaijan relations on the occasion of his 90th birth anniversary.

Ambassador Shikarov highlighted that the Pak-Azerbaijan friendship was founded by two great leaders of the two countries, Heydar Aliyev and Benazir Bhutto. He expressed his gratitude for Pakistan ’s unequivocal support to Azerbaijan over its territorial dispute with neighboring Armenia.

He added that Azerbaijan also extended its full support to Pakistan over Kashmir and that the Heydar Aliyev Foundation had also constructed a school in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) that was destroyed in the 2005 earthquake.

Dr Ilham Mammadov, First Secretary at the Embassy of Azerbaijan said territories occupied by Armenia, but also put Azerbaijan on a path of development that has resulted in an unprecedented economic growth.

Dr Mammadov stated that Heydar Aliyev knew the spirit of Pakistan that is why he reached out to Pakistan and Turkey for friendship after assuming charge. He called relations between Pakistan and Azerbaijan brotherly and strategic. He added that National Bank of Pakistan was the first foreign bank to be allowed to open a branch in Azerbaijan.

Commenting on the role of religion in the state and society of Azerbaijan, Dr Mammadov said, “ Azerbaijan is an ultra-modern secular country with strong Muslim values.”

President of IRS, Ashraf Azim reiterated Pakistan ’s support for Azerbaijan over its dispute with Armenia over Nagorno Karabakh and expressed his gratitude for Azerbaijan ’s support to Pakistan over the issue of Kashmir.


/Pakobserver.Net/