ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Azerbaijan’s Minister of Digital Development & Transport Rashid Nabiyev visited Pakistan on Tuesday to meet with the Federal Minister for Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar to discuss the finalization of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and the Transit Trade Agreement (TTA) between the two Countries.
During the meeting, the visiting dignitary informed Syed Naveed Qamar that the PTA is expected to be finalized in the first week of August while the TTA is planned to be signed by the end of August or in September.
Rashid Nabiyev mentioned that discussions regarding the TTA are currently underway in Azerbaijan’s relevant ministries.
In addition, he revealed that Azerbaijan to initiate flights of Azerbaijan Airlines between Islamabad and Baku soon.
Syed Naveed said direct flights would further strengthen the bilateral trade and connectivity between the two nations.
To ensure the timely finalization of the Transit Trade Agreement, te Federal Minister Syed Naveed Qamar proposed the establishment of a High-Level Joint Working Group, which would actively work towards achieving the desired goals.
Both Countries are presently engaged in negotiations for the Preferential Trade Agreement.
Pakistan has completed consultations to finalize its list of requested items, sharing a request list of 103 items with Azerbaijan on June 14, 2023, seeking market access.
On the other hand, Azerbaijan has shared its request list of 84 items, and the Ministry of Commerce in Pakistan is currently conducting stakeholder consultations on these items.
Regarding the Transit Trade Agreement, the Ministry of Commerce shared the draft agreement with Azerbaijan on September 15, 2022 with the consensus of all stakeholders.
The agreement encompasses all modes of transportation, including road, railways, air, and sea.
During the discussions, tariff reduction modalities and lists were also deliberated upon, with the aim of further facilitating trade between Azerbaijan and Pakistan.
Both sides expressed their commitment to enhancing bilateral trade ties between the “brother countries” and strengthening economic cooperation.
