New York, 24 September 2023 (TDI): Jalil Abbas Jilani, Foreign Minister of Pakistan met Azerbaijan counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov, on the sidelines of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, on September 22.
The two parties discussed the recent advancements in bilateral relations, particularly focusing on areas such as bilateral commerce, military, energy, and IT collaboration.
The Foreign Minister welcomed the news of Azerbaijan Airlines’ direct flight operations to Pakistan and hailed it as a significant move to encourage people-to-people interactions for business and tourism.
The Foreign Minister also expressed his gratitude to Azerbaijan for providing Pakistan with persistent and valuable assistance regarding Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) at different international fora, particularly the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir.
He informed his Azerbaijani counterpart of the dire circumstances in IIOJK. This includes unacceptable human rights violations, illegal attempts to alter the population makeup of the occupied territory, and an increase in ceasefire violations by the Indian side along the Line of Control, which pose a threat to peace and security.
Both parties decided to cooperate at the international forum, particularly at the OIC and the UN, after discussing shared concerns like Islamophobia and climate change.
They also discussed Azerbaijan’s initiatives to advance peace and stability in the South Caucasus area, as well as the regional situation there.
Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov praised the degree of strategic collaboration that now exists between the two nations while highlighting the potential for future growth of bilateral ties.
He also recommended his colleague in Pakistan of Armenia’s military-political provocations and the alleged government it established.
According to Jeyhun Bayramov, the primary objectives of the anti-terrorism actions implemented in the area were the disarming of the illegal Armenian military forces and the overthrow of the illegitimate regime.
The Foreign Minister emphasized that Armenia’s unlawful military infrastructure was intended to be neutralized by the military’s local anti-terrorism operations, which were limited to legitimate military objectives.
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The Azerbaijani Foreign Minister emphasized that “Azerbaijan’s target was only illegal Armenian armed groups, but not civilians and civilian facilities.”
Pakistan has always supported Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and the legal actions done within its sovereign territory, according to Foreign Minister, Jalil Abbas Jilani.
The Foreign Minister also spoke about other global and regional matters of concern during the conference.