Says Republic of Azerbaijan was chosen to next host COP29 in December 2023 with unanimous support from all countries, and it showcases the recognition of Azerbaijan`s leadership and efforts in addressing climate change at the national, regional, and global scales’

Ansar Mahmood Bhatti

ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Pakistan Khazar Farhadov has said relations between Pakistan and Azerbaijan continue to grow on an upward trajectory in all fields.

Direct flights between Azerbaijan and Pakistan (from Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore) which have been operated since 2022 by PIA, and 2023 by AZAL tremendously contribute to these relations. More than 50.000 Pakistani tourists visited Azerbaijan in 2023. I have to mention that Pakistan is one of the countries that is included in the online ASAN visa system of Azerbaijan.

He expressed these views on the occasion of 106th anniversary of our independence. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was established on May 28, 1918, and that was the first democratic republic in the Muslim East. Prime Minister Coordinate on Climate Change Romina Khurshid was the chief guest. A large number of diplomats, members of the civil society and business fraternity attended the reception.

The Ambassador said the citizens of Pakistan can easily obtain a visa online within 3 hours and visit Azerbaijan. This direct connectivity brings people from all circles of the two countries closer.

In December 2022, the Government of Azerbaijan, taking into account the fraternal relations, exempted rice from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan with the same origin from import customs duty. It is not a coincidence that the trade turnover between the two brotherly countries reached up to 100 million dollars.

‘Within a remarkably brief span, Azerbaijan established its first parliament and government, defined its borders, instituted state attributes, and carried out crucial state-building measures. Important steps were taken in the field of state building, recognition of the Republic as a subject of international relations, and protection of its national interests’, he added.

Ambassador Khazar said, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, though it had an existence of only 23 months, played a pivotal role in the formation of democratic traditions and the history of national statehood, and laid a solid foundation for the future independence of the Republic by strengthening the sentiments of freedom and independence.

‘The legal successor of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the independent Republic of Azerbaijan restored its independence in 1991 and managed to preserve its sovereignty thanks to the Great leader of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev who has made an immense contribution to the people and the state of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has been implementing the policy of Heydar Aliyev, continuing and enriching it under the leadership of H.E. Mr. Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan’.

In 2020, under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan liberated its internationally recognized territories from the almost 30-years occupation by Armenia, implementing UN Security Council 4 resolutions of 1993.

In this month, on May 1-3, 2024, the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue themed “Dialogue for Peace and Global Security: Cooperation and Interconnectivity” was held at the Baku Convention Center, he added.

‘It should be noted that the Republic of Azerbaijan was chosen to next host COP29 in December 2023 with unanimous support from all countries, and it showcases the recognition of Azerbaijan`s leadership and efforts in addressing climate change at the national, regional, and global scales’.

Ambassador said, Pakistan was one of the first countries that recognized the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan on December 12, 1991. The diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on June 9, 1992, he concluded.