ISLAMABAD, Jul 18 (APP): Minister for Communications Maulana Asad Mahmood on Tuesday said that Pak-Azerbaijan could further enhance bilateral relations in terms of trade & commerce and strengthen public, cultural ties through land links and highways.
He expressed these views during a meeting with a seven-member Azerbaijan delegation led by Minister for Digital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev to discuss road trade agreement and move towards a legal framework for trade.
The minister praised the delegation of Azerbaijan for coming to Pakistan and holding meetings with various ministries and officials to strengthen bilateral ties.
Rashad Nabiyev apprised the Minister for Communications that Azerbaijan has paved new roads for the promotion of trade and public transportation by laying its network of highways connecting up to Bandar Abbas, Iran.
In response, Asad Mehmood expressed Pakistan’s desire to expand land connection to Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia and Eastern Europe to boost the economy of regional countries and raise the living standards of the people. He said the Government of Pakistan stands ready for all kinds of assistance regarding road transport and trade.
During the meeting, a task force was formed to develop a legal framework for road trade agreements, and the Federal Secretary Communications & Chairman NHA Captain (Rtd.) Muhammad Khurram Agha will be the focal person on behalf of Pakistan.
The Minister of Communications appreciated the fact that Azerbaijan supports Pakistan’s position regarding Kashmir. Similarly, he added, Pakistan’s position in some other matters was a mirror of mutual harmony. A road trade agreement will help in furthering bilateral ties to new heights, he added.
He also told the delegation that the Government of Pakistan is expanding its land routes to nearby countries by laying a vast network of important national highways in Balochistan.
Azerbaijan Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev emphasized that coordination between the two countries in terms of roads and transport was a guarantee of economic development throughout the region. “Azerbaijan has heavily invested in road infrastructure, railways, and airports in some of its newly developed land areas, and the minister encouraged that Pakistan may benefit by using Azerbaijan as a transit route to the West”, he said.
The minister said that the process of laying land links and highways between Pakistan and Azerbaijan, through Iran, will promote trade, industry, tourism and culture between the two countries.
