"Geostrategic and political relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan are at a high level. However, we need to do more to develop cooperation in certain areas," Hikmat Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, said in an interview with Pakistan's PakTVGlobal television channel on the sidelines of the 4th Shusha Global Media Forum.
Main objectives of the Shusha Global Media Forum
Hikmat Hajiyev first spoke about the objectives of the 4th Shusha Global Media Forum:
"The initiative to hold the Shusha Global Media Forum was put forward by President Ilham Aliyev four years ago. The goal was to restore Shusha's former cultural and intellectual role in the South Caucasus and beyond the region. In Shusha, scholars, academics, journalists, philosophers, and poets come together to work on various intellectual ideas and restore the city's former spirit.
The second reason is that Azerbaijan, like brotherly Pakistan, is subjected to media attacks on the global stage. One of the functions of the Shusha Forum is to counter these attacks and convey the truth. This came after Azerbaijan liberated its occupied territories. We speak openly with the world. This is Mr. President's direct communication with the international media. This initiative has produced very effective results. There is no limit on the number of questions here. Any journalist may ask any question they consider appropriate. At this year's forum as well, the President of Azerbaijan answered questions from all parts of the world."
"In addition, the Shusha Forum is also an intellectual dialogue. The media is changing dynamically. Artificial intelligence, social networks, and the entire media ecosystem are evolving. We all face disinformation. Therefore, we must learn from one another and share our experiences. We should put forward proposals. This is also one of the objectives of the Shusha Forum."
President Ilham Aliyev's model of open dialogue and strategic communication
According to Hikmat Hajiyev, President Ilham Aliyev demonstrated transparency and strategic communication at the Shusha Global Media Forum:
"There were no restrictions or censorship there. Everyone was free to ask any question they wished. This was Azerbaijan's strategic communication, and I am proud to be an assistant to Mr. President. Every day, we learn something from his wisdom. Mr. President's approach to the media is one example of this. The head of state demonstrates the same spirit in the economy, foreign policy, social affairs, and military sphere. The reality is that Azerbaijan is a strong state and has a strong leader. The President of Azerbaijan's responses to questions at the latest forum were not merely communication; they were a genuine dialogue with the international media."
Azerbaijan-Pakistan strategic partnership and brotherly relations
The presidential aide also touched upon Azerbaijan-Pakistan relations and expressed satisfaction with the level of bilateral ties:
"Pakistan and Azerbaijan share brotherly relations, and we have a strategic partnership. I have also had the honor of witnessing the friendship and deep mutual respect between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and President Ilham Aliyev. When Azerbaijan's territories were under occupation, brotherly Pakistan demonstrated its support for Azerbaijan. Pakistan did not establish diplomatic relations with the occupying country and recognized Armenia as the aggressor state. This has remained in the memory not only of the Azerbaijani state but also of its people, and we will always remember and highly appreciate it."
"At the same time, we are pleased with Pakistan's achievements. During the recent military conflict between the United States and Iran in the Gulf region, Pakistan demonstrated strategic patience and wisdom by creating a mediation platform to help resolve the conflict, facilitating the signing of a memorandum of understanding and bringing the conflict to an end. Pakistan demonstrated the qualities of a strong state and strategic foresight. Pakistan's important geostrategic significance in global affairs became evident. As your brothers, we are very pleased about this. We trust the capabilities of our Pakistani brothers. The Pakistani state strives to ensure peace, and this stems from its sincere desire to contribute to global and regional peace. This conflict has global implications. Had it not been for Pakistan's efforts, the conflict could have spread beyond the region and introduced new elements of escalation. Pakistan's diplomacy should therefore be commended. We believe Pakistan's efforts will produce positive results. At the same time, we should understand that a mediator carries messages back and forth, but the final decision rests with the parties."
Potential for developing business relations
Hikmat Hajiyev noted that political and geostrategic relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan are excellent and reflect the determination of both countries, but stressed that there is still more work to be done:
"The leadership of our countries is working intensively to establish institutionalized cooperation between Azerbaijan and Pakistan. But, of course, we need to do much more in the fields of economic and trade cooperation, humanitarian and cultural relations, and people-to-people contacts. Here, we can confidently say that more needs to be done. There should be more contacts between Azerbaijani and Pakistani businesspeople. Both countries have great economic potential and opportunities. However, the lack of information sometimes affects our trade and economic relations. Let me give you an example. Due to insufficient information and the absence of institutionalized business mechanisms, Azerbaijan used to import Pakistani rice through a third country. After this issue was brought to the attention of the Azerbaijani government, the necessary measures were taken. Pakistani rice was exempted from customs duties. This further increased the competitiveness of Pakistani rice in the Azerbaijani market. This is just one example of the progress we can achieve in all areas. We need to better inform our business communities."
The presidential aide also emphasized that tourism ties are developing dynamically: "We are very pleased with this. The number of direct flights between Azerbaijan and Pakistan has now increased. This is a positive sign. However, more work needs to be done in the cultural sphere and in other areas. Media representatives also have an important role to play here. There should be greater cooperation between the Azerbaijani and Pakistani media. We need to better inform our societies about each other's culture and business opportunities. My brother, Pakistan's Minister of Information, supports this initiative and has done a great deal to promote it. Pakistan has a well-developed English-language journalism sector. In Azerbaijan, we are also working to develop this field, and I believe we can benefit from Pakistan's experience in this regard. I am pleased to see cooperation developing under the memorandum signed between AnewZ and your PakTVGlobal channel. We can say that there are no limits to the development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Pakistan."
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