WE have long been hearing pledges to consolidate ties with Central Asian Republics but it is, perhaps, for the first time that concrete steps are being taken by the present Government to exploit the potential of increasing economic ties with the region in a meaningful manner. This is borne out by the latest agreement that Pakistan has signed with Azerbaijan for import of LNG on concessional rates right from next month. And in their all-encompassing talks in Baku, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in the fields of energy, trade and aviation to reflect the decades-old strong relationship between the two nations.
This newspaper has consistently been emphasizing the need to strengthen ties with the brotherly Azerbaijan as President Ilham Aliyev is committed to the cause of cementing ties with Pakistan. He has expressed this desire on various occasions and missed no opportunity to provide much-needed diplomatic and political support to the country at regional and global forums. The LNG deal is a historic one as this would go a long way to help Pakistan overcome its critical energy shortage and bring down the exorbitant domestic cost of the LNG. One must also compliment Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who took keen personal interest in the finalization of the accord with Azerbaijan in the backdrop of a government-to-government deal that the then PML(N) Government signed with Qatar for import of gas. It has rightly been pointed out that this is the second major achievement for Pakistan towards the fulfilment of energy needs after recently receiving the shipment of crude oil from Russia. In addition to the LNG deal, Azerbaijan has also committed to invest in the alternative energy sector of Pakistan including solar power generation, which is one of the priority areas for the incumbent government to resolve energy-related issues on a durable basis. The President of Azerbaijan also demonstrated his good wishes for Pakistan by abolishing duties on Pakistani rice to facilitate the export of the commodity to the friendly country. He has also put forth concrete proposals for boosting ties in the defence, education, tourism and aviation sector to the mutual benefit of the two countries. It is a matter of record that the Azeri President never minced words when it came to extending support to Pakistan on its principled stand on Kashmir dispute. Similarly, Pakistan always expressed solidarity with Azerbaijan in maintaining its territorial integrity and supported its position on Nagorno-Karabakh dispute. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the PM’s visit to Azerbaijan has laid a strong foundation for promotion of bilateral ties and hopefully the momentum
