Pakistan, Azerbaijan to sign MoU on diaspora affairs, minister says

Pakistan and Azerbaijan will sign a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation on diaspora affairs, says Pakistan's Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Chaudhry Salik Hussain.

Speaking at the First Forum of Muslim Diaspora of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries in Ankara, Türkiye, he noted that this document will allow both countries to significantly expand their interaction, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

Hussain also reiterated Pakistan's longstanding support for Azerbaijan over the Karabakh issue, saying Islamabad would continue to back Baku at both regional and international levels.

According to him, cooperation between Pakistan and Azerbaijan should also extend beyond the military sphere, with stronger people-to-people ties and greater interaction between the two nations.

He also praised the participation of 48 of the 57 OIC member states in the forum.

"The first international initiative launched at Türkiye's initiative deserves high praise. Almost all Muslim countries have large diasporas, but apparently no one had previously considered such an idea. The next step should be closer cooperation among us. For example, if one country needs labor, another Muslim country can provide assistance and support," he said.

The minister also discussed his meeting with Fuad Muradov, Chairman of Azerbaijan's State Committee on Work with Diaspora, and reaffirmed Pakistan's solidarity with Azerbaijan across all areas.

"Before this meeting, I had not realized that there were so many areas for cooperation with Azerbaijan. We exchanged many ideas about how our diasporas can help and support each other, as well as ways to strengthen the presence and activities of our diasporas in other countries around the world," he stressed.

Hussain said Muradov had invited him to visit Azerbaijan towards the end of the year.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov