Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday received a phone call from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s unwavering support on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.
The call came after Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a US-brokered peace agreement on Friday during a meeting with former US President Donald Trump, ending decades of hostilities. The deal is aimed at fostering peace and economic cooperation in the Caucasus region.
During the conversation, PM Shehbaz congratulated President Aliyev and the people of Azerbaijan on what he called a “historic moment”. He lauded Aliyev’s visionary leadership in resolving the three-decade-old conflict, saying the agreement would usher in “a new era of prosperity and stability”.
The prime minister also praised Donald Trump’s role as a peacemaker, acknowledging his efforts in facilitating the agreement. He noted that Pakistan has always considered it a duty to stand by Azerbaijan on the Karabakh issue.
President Aliyev, in turn, appreciated Pakistan’s consistent diplomatic and moral backing, adding that peace in the region would open new opportunities for enhanced connectivity between Pakistan and Central Asia.
Both leaders expressed satisfaction over the growing trajectory of bilateral relations. They recalled their recent meetings in Lachin and Khankendi, with PM Shehbaz reiterating his invitation for President Aliyev to visit Pakistan soon. The two are also expected to meet on the sidelines of the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin.
Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous region internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but largely populated by ethnic Armenians, had been the centre of two wars between Baku and Yerevan, first in the late 1980s and again in 2020. Azerbaijan regained full control after a swift offensive in September 2023.
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