Azerbaijan envoy says K-P attractive for investment

Points to energy, minerals, tourism and construction sectors apart from touring the capital city

PESHAWAR: As the province tries to open itself up for foreign investors, the Azeri envoy to the country on Wednesday said that four sectors above all others, adding that Azerbaijan was keen on cooperating with the provincial government to boost tourism there.

“There are numerous opportunities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and in my opinion, minerals, energy, tourism, and construction sectors appear profitable and could attract Azeri investors,” said Azerbaijan Ambassador Ali Alizada during his visit to the Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday.

Alizada said that both countries share warm and cordial relations based on mutual trust. Moreover, he said that both countries enjoy strong military-to-military, as well as military-to-civilian leadership ties.

“Azeri’s love Pakistan and our government appreciate Pakistan’s initiative for peace by opening Kartarpur Corridor with its Eastern neighbour India,” he said, recalling that Pakistan was one of the first countries in the world who recognised Azerbaijan as an independent republic.

“Azeri’s love Pakistan,” the envoy stated.

While there are several sectors where both countries can maintain strong ties, it is in trade and agriculture where the two countries are closest to different joint working groups holding periodic meetings to further strengthen cooperation.

He added that K-P serves as a gateway for tourists to and from the central as well as Euro-Asian countries. With the uncertain situation with regards to militancy being resolved and normalcy returning to the region, K-P now appears as a must-visit tourist destination.

Drawing parallels between the Kashmir conflict and Azerbaijan’s conflict with Armenia, Alizada said that there were several United Nation Security Council Resolutions against the Armenian aggression and others [Kashmir] which should be implemented so that conflicts could be resolved at the earliest.

Exchange programme

Earlier, Alizada met with K-P Senior Minister Atif Khan at the latter’s office in Peshawar. The two agreed to launch exchange programmes to increase linkages between the youth of both countries.

The two discussed various matters related to the promotion of tourism, culture, archaeology, sports and youth affairs.

Atif said that Azerbaijan is one of the emerging must-visit tourist destinations in the world and that the K-P government will like to take advantage of Azerbaijan’s experiences to develop its tourism sector.

The tourism minister briefed the envoy about tourism opportunities in the province.

"There are 6,000 archaeological sites in the province and around a billion rupees have been allocated for the preservation of these sites "Atif explained.

After meeting, the envoy visited popular tourist sites in Peshawar including Sethi House, the Peshawar Museum, the Heritage Trail, Islamia College, and Qila Bala Hisar. Azlizada showed a special interest in local culture and heritage sites.

He said that the archaeological sites in the province were an excellent asset for promoting tourism.

“Azerbaijan will provide all kinds of assistance to K-P in tourism development, and cooperation in the tourism sector between the two countries will be further enhanced,” the envoy said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28^th, 2019.