Azerbaijan’s Minister of Defense Industry, Vugar Mustafayev, met on Friday with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad to strengthen the bilateral ties between Pakistan and Azerbaijan. The meeting focused on strengthening cooperation in various sectors, including trade, energy, defense and investments.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Sharif expressed satisfaction with the current course for the relations between Pakistan and Azerbaijan, especially in the areas of trade, energy and defense. Both sides confirmed their obligation to diversify and elaborate on bilateral cooperation to mutual benefit to both nations. Minister Mustafayev thanked the Prime Minister for the warm hospitality he and his delegation received.
Mustafayev’s visit is part of the 8th session in Pakistan-Aerbaijan’s joint ministerial commission, jointly led by the federal minister of defense production Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Mustafayev. The session held from the 23-24. January 2025 in Islamabad, ended with important discussions about key areas of common interest.
Key agreements and areas of action
Both countries agreed to implement Azerbaijan-Pakistan Preference Trading Agreement (PTA), which was signed in July 2024, and exploring opportunities for joint ventures and investments between their businesses.
Both sides agreed to accelerate the signing of a mou for joint production and sale of defense equipment, which increases the defense industry’s cooperation.
The discussion also focused on promoting the strategic underground gas storage project and inviting Azerbaijan to participate in energy infrastructure projects, including the laying of a white oil pipeline.
Both countries committed to strengthening cooperation in agriculture through shared research in cotton, grain cultivation and seed development. Business-to-business exchange of agricultural goods was also encouraged.
Both nations agreed to collaborate on advanced diagnostics, medical tourism and public health sessions, while also exploring opportunities for health -related research and capacity building.
Minister Mustafayev emphasized the importance of creating new joint working groups to further strengthen the bilateral cooperation that he believes will lead to significant progress in different sectors.
The two sides also discussed the upcoming 9th joint commission session, which is scheduled to take place in Baku in 2027. The meeting ended with a common commitment to continued growth and prosperity for both nations.
In his remarks, Minister Asif noted that high-level exchanges, including visits by President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, had significantly strengthened collaboration across energy, defense and trade sectors.
