Islamabad, 4 April 2023 (TDI): Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Pakistan, Khazar Farhadov, recently visited the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) to underline Azerbaijan’s desire to deepen business ties with Pakistan.
H.E. Khazar Farhadov, Azerbaijan Ambassador to Pakistan said that his country wants to further improve bilateral trade relations with Pakistan.#ICCI #ahsanbakhtawari71 #faadwaheed #azharulislamzafar #airlinks #azerbaijanpakistan #Joint #workingGroup #BilateralRelations pic.twitter.com/BZozedmfvE
— Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (@IslamabadCCI) April 3, 2023
Farhadov noted that Azerbaijan regards Pakistan and Türkiye as valued friends. It aspires to develop bilateral trade with Pakistan to a level comparable to its trade volume with Türkiye, which is roughly USD 6 billion.
He stated that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) direct flights between Pakistan and Azerbaijan have already helped increase bilateral trade between the two countries in 2022.
Furthermore, Ambassador cited that Azerbaijan Airlines would soon begin direct flights to Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad.
He highlighted direct flights from Azerbaijan to Pakistan’s industrial and export region would elevate the two countries’ mutually beneficial economic ties.
Farhadov also declared to the ICCI that, under President Ilham Aliyev’s directives, Azerbaijan had waived the customs charge on Pakistani rice imports.
He also encouraged the ICCI commercial sector to benefit from the newly implemented legislation.
Joint Ministerial Commission Working Groups have been established to further bilateral cooperation in agriculture, trade, finance, information technology, tourism, transportation, energy, and health.
Ambassador Farhadov also invited the ICCI to assist in identifying companies for these working groups so that the private sector may promote bilateral collaboration between the two countries.
He also announced that in 2023, Azerbaijan would be celebrating the centennial of Heydar Aliyev’s birth, who is widely credited with establishing the country as a sovereign nation.
The Embassy of Azerbaijan is arranging a combined event with the ICCI to commemorate Heydar Aliyev’s founding role in establishing Azerbaijan-Pakistan relations.
Also Read: Ambassador of Pakistan meets Azerbaijan’s Customs Committee Chairman
The President of the ICCI, Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, underlined the essence of exploring innovative ways to increase commerce between the two nations.
He raised awareness of each other’s markets in the private sectors of both countries to establish commercial ties.
He also emphasized the significance of developing new product lines and channels for collaboration to increase trade volume between the two countries.
Faad Waheed, Senior Vice President of the ICCI, urged both nations to promote the frequent exchange of trade delegations to investigate all untapped potential areas of cooperation.
He also pledged that the ICCI would supply the Working Groups with a directory of relevant businesses to boost their efficiency and output.
