ISTANBUL 

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku, where the two leaders agreed to deepen cooperation in trade, energy, connectivity, and defense, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir also attended the meeting, held at the Presidential Palace of Azerbaijan.

Sharif thanked Aliyev for inviting him to attend Azerbaijan’s Victory Day celebrations and congratulated the Azerbaijani government and people on the anniversary marking their 2020 Karabakh war victory.

“The victory of Azerbaijan serves as a beacon of hope for oppressed people striving for self-determination, including those in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine,” he said.

During the meeting, both sides reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen “multi-layered cooperation” across key sectors.

Sharif praised Aliyev for signing a historic peace agreement with Armenia earlier this year, while Aliyev thanked Pakistan for its “consistent support” for Azerbaijan’s “just struggle against illegal occupation of the Karabakh region.”

The Azerbaijani leader also commended Pakistan’s role in promoting regional stability in South Asia.

Sharif extended an invitation to Aliyev to visit Pakistan, which the Azerbaijani president “graciously accepted.”

The meeting took place as Azerbaijan marked the fifth anniversary of its Victory Day, commemorating the country’s success in the 2020 Karabakh war.