ISLAMABAD: Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev will undertake a visit to Pakistan on July 11-12, the Pakistani Foreign Office said on Tuesday, with bilateral economic cooperation on the agenda.
The visit follows an inaugural Pakistan-Turkiye-Azerbaijan trilateral summit in Kazakhstan this month, which was attended by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
At the summit, Sharif proposed establishment of tripartite institutional mechanisms in economic and investment areas to further strengthen cooperation among the three nations.
Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said President Aliyev would hold meetings with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Sharif during the visit.
“The two sides will engage in wide-ranging discussions on areas of mutual interest in order to further strengthen bilateral cooperation,” she said in a statement. “Several Agreements and MoUs (memorandums of understanding) are expected to be signed during the visit.”
Baloch said the visit by the Azerbaijan president visit reflected “robust cooperation and leadership-level dialogue” between the two countries.
During the last meeting between the Azerbaijan leader, PM Sharif had said his country valued deep-rooted cultural, historical and religious ties between Pakistan and Azerbaijan.
He had reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to working together to elevate the tripartite cooperation into a “strong multifaceted partnership” across the sectors of economy, energy, tourism, culture, education and technology.
In recent months, Pakistan has increasingly sought to attract investment and trade with regional countries amid a macroeconomic crisis. The South Asian country last year averted a sovereign default and is currently seeking more than $6 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Azerbaijan president to visit Pakistan on July 11-12 with economic cooperation on agenda
https://arab.news/8wtue
Azerbaijan president to visit Pakistan on July 11-12 with economic cooperation on agenda
- The visit follows an inaugural Pakistan-Turkiye-Azerbaijan trilateral summit in Kazakhstan this month
- At the summit, Pakistan PM proposed tripartite institutional mechanisms in economic, investment areas
Pakistan says $50 million meat export deal with Tajikistan nearing finalization
- Islamabad expects to finalize agreement soon after Dushanbe signals demand for 100,000 tons
- Pakistan is seeking to expand agricultural trade beyond rice, citrus and mango exports
ISLAMABAD: Tajikistan has expressed interest in importing 100,000 tons of Pakistani meat worth more than $50 million, with both governments expected to finalize a supply agreement soon, Pakistan’s food security ministry said on Tuesday.
Pakistan is trying to grow agriculture-based exports as it seeks regional markets for livestock and food commodities, while Tajikistan, a landlocked Central Asian state, has been expanding food imports to support domestic demand. Pakistan currently exports rice, citrus and mangoes to Dushanbe, though volumes remain small compared to national production, according to official figures.
The development came during a meeting in Islamabad between Pakistan’s Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain and Ambassador of Tajikistan Yusuf Sharifzoda, where agricultural trade, livestock supply and food-security cooperation were discussed.
“Tajikistan intends to purchase 100,000 tons of meat from Pakistan, an import valued at over USD 50 million,” the ambassador said, according to the ministry’s statement, assuring full facilitation and that Islamabad was prepared to meet the demand.
The statement said the two sides agreed to expand cooperation in meat and livestock, fresh fruit, vegetables, staple crops, agricultural research, pest management and standards compliance. Pakistan also proposed strengthening coordination on phytosanitary rules and establishing pest-free production zones to support long-term exports.
Pakistan and Tajikistan have long maintained political ties but bilateral food trade remains below potential: Pakistan produces 1.8 million tons of mangoes annually but exported just 0.7 metric tons to Tajikistan in 2024, while rice exports amounted to only 240 metric tons in 2022 out of national output of 9.3 million tons. Pakistan imports mainly ginned cotton from Tajikistan.
