Baku, June 21, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received Chief of Army Staff of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

According to AZERTAC, welcoming Army General Qamar Javed Bajwa, President Ilham Aliyev said:

- I am very glad to see you. Welcome to Azerbaijan! I do hope that your visit to our country will be very fruitful and further strengthen our close partnership. We are very delighted that the relations between our countries are developing very successfully. Pakistan and Azerbaijan, as two brotherly countries, are strengthening bilateral ties. We are particularly grateful to Pakistan for its very active support of Azerbaijan in the second Karabakh war. From the first days of the war, the top leadership of your country, the President and the Prime Minister, expressed their full support for Azerbaijan in restoring our territorial integrity. This is a very important element of our cooperation and a real demonstration of our fraternal relations. Other high-ranking Pakistani officials, members of parliament and public figures also supported us during the 44-day war, which resulted in a complete defeat of the Armenian army and the restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been resolved by Azerbaijan by force and by political means.

I would also like to note that Pakistan is one of a handful of countries that does not recognize Armenia due to its occupation of our lands and does not establish diplomatic relations with Armenia. This is another demonstration of fraternal relations between our countries. The Azerbaijani people are well aware of this. We are always clear about who supports Azerbaijan and who supported us during the war. Therefore, it is not surprising that there are Pakistani flags throughout the city and country and this will strengthen the brotherhood between our countries and peoples. As you know, Azerbaijan has always supported Pakistan in the issue of Kashmir. Our open position has been demonstrated many times. This position is based on justice, international law and our fraternal relations. We must support our brothers in all matters.

As a country chairing the Non-Aligned Movement, Azerbaijan actively defends international law and justice. I am very grateful to the President of Pakistan for his personal participation in the summit in Baku and for supporting our initiatives within the Non-Aligned Movement. Our cooperation is developing successfully. We are demonstrating a very high level of partnership in the sphere of defense and in the defense industry. Your visit to our country is a further testament to that. We are pleased to have access to Pakistan's defense industry products. As you know, we buy these products, which strengthens our military capacity. I think that we should expand our military cooperation in the coming years and plan joint military exercises and other initiatives to strengthen our partnership even more. I am sure that these and many other issues will be on the agenda of your discussions with your colleagues. I wish you a pleasant time in Azerbaijan. Welcome again!

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Chief of Army Staff of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, conveyed Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan’s greetings to the President of Azerbaijan.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude for the greetings of the Prime Minister of Pakistan and asked General Qamar Javed Bajwa to convey his greetings to Prime Minister Imran Khan.

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Army General Qamar Javed Bajwa said:

- Mr. President. First of all, it is a great honor for me to meet with you. First, may I please ask you to accept my sincere congratulations on the historic victory you won by defeating Armenia and returning your territories. I think this is a great event for every Muslim and every Pakistani. Despite the bias against your country, you have restored your territorial integrity. I sincerely congratulate you. Secondly, I would like to note that one of my friends came to Azerbaijan in 1993 and was very disappointed at that time. He visited here last year and was impressed, saying that under the leadership of your father, who was a prominent figure, and under your leadership Azerbaijan has developed over the past 30 years. He noted that he appreciates it.

Your Excellency, Turkey is one of our common partners. Just as you say that you are “one nation, two states”, Turkey is close to our hearts too. Our closest relations in the world are with Turkey. The close ties between the three countries open up ample opportunities for our cooperation. There are many opportunities for us to consider in Azerbaijan, and our businessmen can visit here.

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The sides also discussed issues of cooperation in the fields of transport, logistics, energy and trade.