Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday proposed establishing tripartite institutional mechanisms, particularly in economic and investment sectors, to further strengthen trilateral cooperation between Pakistan, Turkey, and Azerbaijan.

Speaking during the inaugural session of the Pakistan-Turkey-Azerbaijan Trilateral Summit on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, the Prime Minister emphasized Pakistan's deep-rooted fraternal ties with Azerbaijan and Turkey. These relationships are built on cultural, historic, and religious bonds, mutual respect, and support on key issues.

The summit featured Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Heydar Aliyev.

Prime Minister Sharif welcomed the inaugural session of the Pakistan-Turkey-Azerbaijan Trilateral Meeting at the summit level, as reported by the PM Office Media Wing in a press release.

He described this meeting as a natural progression of trilateral engagements among the three brotherly Muslim countries, which share similar perspectives on numerous mutual interests and common concerns.

Highlighting the excellent trilateral cooperation in political, parliamentary, and defense areas since the first Trilateral Meeting of Foreign Ministers in Baku in 2017, Prime Minister Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to working with Turkey and Azerbaijan. He aims to elevate this cooperation into a robust, multifaceted partnership across various sectors, including economy, energy, tourism, culture, education, technology and innovation, healthcare, and environmental collaboration.

Emphasizing the strong bonds of friendship and significant people-to-people contacts among the three countries, the Prime Minister also pointed out the substantial potential for collaboration in culture, tourism, academia, as well as science and technology.

Previously, Pakistan, Turkey, and Azerbaijan have held trilateral consultations at the level of foreign ministers, parliamentary speakers, and defense personnel.