Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani convened a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov, during the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in New York last Friday.
During the meeting, the two diplomats assessed recent developments in their bilateral relations, with a particular focus on areas such as trade, defense, energy, and information technology cooperation.
Expressing his approval of Azerbaijan Airlines’ announcement regarding direct flight operations to Pakistan, the Foreign Minister regarded it as a positive step that would facilitate increased people-to-people exchanges, both for business and tourism.
Furthermore, the Foreign Minister conveyed his gratitude to Azerbaijan for consistently offering valuable support to Pakistan regarding the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) issue on various international platforms, including the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir.
In addition, he briefed his Azerbaijani counterpart about the dire situation in IIOJK, characterized by severe human rights violations, illicit attempts to alter the region’s demographic composition, and escalating ceasefire breaches by the Indian side along the Line of Control (LOC), which pose a threat to peace and security.
Both sides engaged in discussions on shared challenges, including Islamophobia and climate change, and reached an agreement to collaborate on these issues at international forums, notably the United Nations and the OIC.
The regional dynamics in the South Caucasus and Azerbaijan’s endeavors to promote peace and stability in the area were also addressed during the meeting.