- Premier Shehbaz to attend Azerbaijan’s national celebrations marking liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh, victory over Armenia
- Turkish President Erdoğan will also attend celebrations, high-level talks to focus on energy, trade, and defence cooperation
ISLAMABAD: Preparations are in full swing for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s upcoming one-day visit to Azerbaijan on November 8, where he will attend Victory Day celebrations in Baku and hold high-level talks aimed at strengthening bilateral and regional cooperation, diplomatic sources confirmed on Tuesday.
The Prime Minister is visiting at the invitation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to join the national celebrations marking Azerbaijan’s liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh and its victory over Armenia. The event will also be attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, underscoring the growing trilateral partnership between Pakistan, Turkey, and Azerbaijan.
According to diplomatic officials, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will hold meetings with President Ilham Aliyev and other senior Azerbaijani officials to review progress on energy, trade, and investment collaborations, as well as explore new areas of connectivity and defence cooperation.
The visit follows the two leaders’ last interaction in September this year on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin, China, where both sides reaffirmed their commitment to expanding multifaceted ties, including cooperation in the energy sector and joint ventures under public–private partnerships.
Sources further disclosed that President Ilham Aliyev is expected to visit Pakistan in the coming months, a development seen as part of the growing momentum in Islamabad–Baku relations.
Azerbaijan remains an important energy partner for Pakistan, with both countries exploring mechanisms for direct LNG supplies and enhanced infrastructure investment. Prime Minister Shehbaz’s visit—his second engagement with the Azerbaijani leadership this year—is expected to consolidate these initiatives and reaffirm Pakistan’s support for Baku’s territorial integrity and post-war reconstruction efforts.
Pakistan, Turkey, and Azerbaijan have maintained a shared stance on mutual defence cooperation and regional stability, particularly during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and the upcoming visit is widely viewed as another milestone in deepening their strategic and diplomatic alignment.
