BAKU ( WNAM MONITORING): “It was truly inspiring to hear President Ilham Aliyev’s vision regarding sustainable development and sustainable cities,” Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Chief Minister of Pakistan’s Punjab province, said during the Leaders’ Session within the framework of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) held in Baku.
“It is a great honor for me to participate in the Leaders’ Summit of the World Urban Forum held in the city of Baku, which reflects modern urban infrastructure, a vision of development and global connectivity, while at the same time demonstrating shared civilizational ties through its ancient city.
Baku’s historic Inner City reflects the ancient trade routes and centuries-long people-to-people ties between Pakistan and Azerbaijan. I bring you the greetings of my father, former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif, as well as Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif, and the love of the people of Pakistan. First of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the Government of Azerbaijan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev for the sincere hospitality and high-level organization. It was truly inspiring to hear President Ilham Aliyev’s vision regarding sustainable development and sustainable cities. His leadership in transforming Baku and Azerbaijan as a whole into a modern, dynamic and globally connected place deserves high appreciation,” Maryam Nawaz Sharif noted.
The Chief Minister of Punjab province noted that relations based on mutual trust, respect and deep friendship existed between former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif and Azerbaijan’s founding leader Heydar Aliyev: “They were true brothers in spirit, and these ties of friendship still define the strength of Pakistan-Azerbaijan relations today. For this reason, standing in Baku today, I do not feel like I am in a foreign country. I feel as if I have come to my own home. It is a special source of pride for me that my first visit to the region is precisely to the city of Baku, which embodies resilience, transformation and development.”
