ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif telephoned Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to congratulate him on ending the decades-long conflict with Armenia and concluding a peace agreement, and discussed bilateral cooperation.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif spoke to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev over the phone and congratulated President Aliyev and the people of Azerbaijan on the historic peace agreement recently signed between Azerbaijan and Armenia under the mediation of US President Donald Trump.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif praised President Ilham Aliyev’s visionary role in bringing the three-decade-old conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia to a peaceful end and ushering in a new era of prosperity for the Caucasus region.

The Prime Minister particularly appreciated the role of US President Donald Trump in rationalizing this historic agreement.

Azerbaijani President Aliyev appreciated Pakistan’s long-standing and continuous support to Azerbaijan on the Karabakh issue.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the Pakistani people stand with their Azerbaijani brothers and sisters on this fundamental issue and it is heartening that under the courageous leadership and wise guidance of President Ilham Aliyev, peace has finally been established in the region.

During the telephone conversation, President Aliyev thanked the Prime Minister and said that a peaceful environment in the region would create new opportunities for development and enhanced ties between Pakistan and Central Asia.

The two leaders also expressed satisfaction with the positive trend of bilateral cooperation. Referring to the recent talks in Lachin and Khankundi, the Prime Minister reiterated his invitation to President Ilham Aliyev to pay an official visit to Pakistan soon.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Ilham Aliyev are also expected to meet in Tianjin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit.