Azernews.Az

Armenia must withdraw unconditionally from the occupied Azerbaijani lands, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has said.

"Pakistan fully backs Azerbaijan in the conflict with Armenia over Nagorno Karabakh and thinks the occupied Azerbaijani territories must be freed unconditionally," the Pakistani minister said at a meeting with Azerbaijani Ambassador to Pakistan Dashgyn Shikarov, the embassy reported on Friday.

Having congratulated Azerbaijan on being elected a UN Security Council non-permanent member, the Pakistani foreign ministry chief said it was a great tribute to Azerbaijani diplomacy and stressed that cooperation between the two countries under the UN would go on.

The Pakistani minister also touched on economic relations between the two countries, noting the sides have opportunity to cooperate in energy, light industry, pharmaceutics and agriculture fields.

The Azerbaijani ambassador thanked the Pakistan government for its backing for Azerbaijan's position in all issues, including the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Shikarov said the issue of the Pakistani president's visit to Azerbaijan remains on the agenda and that the visit will contribute towards the development of bilateral relations.

Ambassador Shikarov briefed the Pakistani minister on preparatory work of the fifth meeting of Azerbaijan-Pakistan intergovernmental commission due in Baku on December 6-7. Pakistani Petroleum and Natural Resources Minister Asim Hussain, who heads the commission from the Pakistani side, will attend the meeting.

The diplomat told the minister that the Azerbaijan government had assigned $2 million relief aid to those who had suffered from the flooding in the Pakistani Sind province.

The foreign minister voiced her gratitude to the government and nation of Azerbaijan for financial and moral support in Pakistan's difficult time.