Minister of State for Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani on Saturday said that Pakistan and Azerbaijan had agreed to form joint working groups to further the goals of mutual trade and railway cooperation.

Kayani’s announcement followed a high-level meeting he chaired at the Ministry of Railways that brought together key stakeholders to explore avenues for strengthening cross-border linkages and advancing mutual economic interests.

“Railway Board Secretary Muhammad Yousaf, briefed the participants on the Pakistan Railways network,” Kayani said.

“Discussions were also held on the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan rail agreement, and both sides agreed to form joint working groups to further the goals of mutual trade and railway cooperation,” the minister added.

Talking to the media in Jhelum, the state minister said that he led a dialogue with an Azerbaijani delegation headed by Deputy Chairman Arif Aghayev of Railways, who participated in the meeting via video link.

Railways Secretary Syed Mazhar Ali Shah, Yousaf, as well as senior officials from the Special Investment Facilitation Council, National Logistics Cell, Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the State Bank of Pakistan, were also at this meeting.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has had several meetings with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev throughout the year. Earlier this month, both nations agreed to sign deals to boost bilateral investment volumes to $2 billion.

In May, the prime minister thanked Aliyev’s country for its steadfast support during the Pakistan-India confrontation and “acknowledged the public expressions of solidarity from both the leadership and the people of brotherly Azerbaijan”.

Additional input from APP