President Ilham Aliyev received a delegation led by Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the Chief Minister of the Punjab province of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, on May 17.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that Maryam Nawaz Sharif conveyed the greetings of her father, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, and the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, to the head of state. President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude for the greetings and asked her to convey his own regards to the Pakistani Prime Minister and Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. The head of state fondly recalled the historic friendship between National Leader Heydar Aliyev and Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.
Expressing her satisfaction with participating in the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, the guest thanked President Ilham Aliyev for the invitation and praised the high-level organization of the event. She noted that Baku is a magnificent example of the synthesis of culture and modern urban planning, expressing her fascination with the city's beauty. During her visit, Maryam Nawaz Sharif also visited the grave of the founder of modern Azerbaijan, National Leader Heydar Aliyev, to pay her respects.
During the conversation, both sides expressed satisfaction with the development of brotherly relations and strategic ties between Azerbaijan and Pakistan. Discussions covered cooperation in political, economic, diplomatic, and defense fields, emphasizing the growth of interregional collaboration and the significant prospects for expanding trade. It was specifically noted that centers based on Azerbaijan's "ASAN service" experience have been established in Pakistan. President Ilham Aliyev further highlighted that Azerbaijan-Pakistan relations are also developing within the trilateral Azerbaijan-Türkiye-Pakistan format.
The World Urban Forum (WUF), established by the United Nations, is the world's premier conference on sustainable urbanization. By hosting WUF13, Baku continues to strengthen its role as a global platform for discussing urban challenges. Additionally, the "ASAN service" (Azerbaijan Service and Assessment Network) is a multi-award-winning Azerbaijani model for public service delivery, recognized internationally for its transparency and efficiency, which Azerbaijan has successfully shared with several partner countries as part of its digital government initiatives.
