Pakistan and Azerbaijan are working to strengthen their bilateral connections, particularly in the tourism sector, as Baku has decided to launch direct flights between the two nations.
Soon, the national airline of Azerbaijan will begin direct flights to Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad, according to Azerbaijan’s ambassador, Khazar Farhadov. Azerbaijan desired to increase its trade volume with Pakistan to the level of Turkey, which is approximately $6 billion.
During his visit to the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI), where he interacted with the business community, the envoy praised direct flights operated by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which boosted tourism.
Farhadov argued that Azerbaijan Airlines’ direct flights would contribute to the expansion of bilateral trade between the two nations.
In addition to commerce, Islamabad and Baku focused on strengthening ties in agriculture, banking, information technology, tourism, transportation, energy, and health.
The envoy also mentioned that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has exempted rice imports from Pakistan from customs duties, urging the business community of the South Asian nation to take advantage of this opportunity.
Moreover, he suggested that the Pakistani business community collaborate in designating firms for these working groups so that the private sector could take the lead in promoting bilateral cooperation.