Associated Press of Pakistan
July 10 2008
Azerbaijan President calls for OIC strengthening
ISLAMABAD, Jul 10 (APP): President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, while
receiving the visiting Pakistan Parliamentary delegation, strongly
supported Pakistan’s position on Kashmir and urged the need for
strengthening OIC.
The Pakistan delegation, headed by Senator Mushahid Hussain, Chairman,
Foreign Relations Committee of Senate, had warm and productive meeting
with the Azeri President in Baku, says a press statement received here
Thursday.
The President also thanked Pakistan for its support for Azerbaijan on
the issue of Nagorno Karabakh with Armenia. Ilham Aliyev also extended
full cooperation to Pakistan in the field of energy as Azerbaijan is a
major exporter of oil and gas.
In response to an invitation from Senator Mushahid Hussain, the
President, who is also head of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, agreed
to send a delegation to the International Conference of Asian
Political Parties (ICAPP), which will be held in Islamabad on October
24-26 this year.
Senator Hussain also thanked the President for their help to victims
of Pakistan’s earthquake in 2005 by building a school in Azad Kashmir,
which has been donated by Hyder Aliyev Foundation, headed by the first
lady of Azerbaijan.
The delegation also met the Azeri Prime Minister, Artur Rasizade, who
stated that bilateral economic ties should be strengthened and this
would be done at the forthcoming meeting of the Joint Ministerial
Commission in Baku in 2008.
In its meeting with Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, Senator
Mushahid Hussain provided a detailed briefing on Pakistan’s foreign
policy with reference to Afghanistan and India.
He stated that Pakistan was being blamed unfairly for mistakes made by
the Western forces in Afghanistan, who are looking for a scapegoat.
He stated that Pakistan was not responsible for growth of narcotics or
bad governance or corruption or collapse of law and order in
Afghanistan.
These are problems which are being ignored because of the mistakes
made by the Western forces by ignoring Afghanistan since they decided
to invade Iraq.
Senator Hussain urged the need to give a `healing touch’ to
Afghanistan and not alienate the Afghan population through
indiscriminate use of force. He also referred to the burden of Afghan
refugees that Pakistan was carrying on its own.
Gifts were also exchanged on the occasion. The delegation comprises
Senator Mushahid Hussain, Chairman, Foreign Relations Committee,
Senators Wasim Sajjad, Nisar Memon, Maulana Samiul Haq, Talha Mahmood,
Latif Khan Khosa, Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, Naeem Hussain Chattha and
Iftikhar Ullah Babar, Additional Secretary Senate as Secretary of the
delegation.