Azerbaijan has a special place in the hearts of the Pakistani people” Murtaza Javed Abbasi
Naveed Ahmad Khan Photo by Ghulam Farid
Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs of Pakistan, Murtaza Javed Abbasi congratulated the Government and people of Azerbaijan on the Independence Day of our country. He was speaking on the occasion of the Independence Day ceremony of Azerbaijan held at Marriott Hotel Islamabad.
The Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Pakistan held an official reception dedicated to May 28-Independence Day.The reception was attended by Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Javed Abbasi as the Chief Guest, Federal Minister for States and Border Regions Muhammad Talha Mahmood, Federal Minister for Defense Production Muhammad Israr Tareen, foreign ambassadors to Pakistan, Representatives of the Pakistani government agencies, public, cultural, and business circles, high-ranking officers of the Armed Forces of Pakistan, media representatives, as well as Azerbaijanis living in Pakistan.
Murtaza Javed Abbasi said about the relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan,Azerbaijan has a special place in the hearts of the Pakistani people and expressed acceptance of Azerbaijan as a brotherly country.
Noting that Pakistan was one of the first countries to recognize Azerbaijan’s independence, the minister said that the country supported brotherly Azerbaijan during the former Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as the Great Patriotic War.
The Minister speaking about the 44-day war, Murtaza Javed Abbasi stressed that Azerbaijan liberated its ancient lands from the occupation in 2020, and Pakistan congratulated brotherly Azerbaijan on this occasion. Stating that brotherly Azerbaijan is an important country for Pakistan, the minister stressed the need to increase efforts in all areas, especially to further strengthen economic and trade relations between the two countries.
Ambassador Khazar Farhadov spoke about the path of independence of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR), which celebrates its 104th anniversary. The ambassador said that the ADR was established on May 28, 1918, and was the first democratic secular republic in the Muslim East.
Farhadov stressed that democratic rights and freedoms were established during the ADR, and equal rights were recognized for all citizens, regardless of ethnicity or religion, and women were given the right to vote even before many European countries.
He noted that the Azerbaijani language has been declared the state language and that special attention is being paid to the development of education.
The ambassador noted that after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Azerbaijani people established an independent Republic of Azerbaijan based on the traditions of the ADR, and great work was done under the leadership of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev to strengthen the restored independence.
Noting that the process of development of democratic, legal, secular state and civil society in the Republic of Azerbaijan under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev has been successfully continued today, Farhadov noted that these successes are reflected in all spheres of life of the Azerbaijani people.
Speaking about the Patriotic War, the ambassador stressed that in 2020, under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, President Ilham Aliyev, our army liberated our lands from Armenian occupation.
Farhadov also noted that relations between the two countries are developing in an ascending line in all areas, as an example, he cited the launch of direct flights from Lahore and Karachi to Baku in March of this year, and direct flights from Islamabad to the capital of our country since June, as well as he, noted an increase in the number of working groups operating as part of the joint intergovernmental commission, up to 10.
At the end, a symbolic cake prepared on the occasion of the 104th anniversary of “May 28-Independence Day” was cut, and commemorative photographs were taken.The event featured an exhibition of photographs reflecting the history, culture, and tourism potential of our country.