LACHIN, Azerbaijan, May 28. Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and Pakistan have always championed sovereignty, territorial integrity, and justice, said President Ilham Aliyev during the Summit with President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Trend reports.
Speech by President Ilham Aliyev
- Esteemed President of Türkiye, dear brother Recep Tayyip Erdoğan,
Esteemed Prime Minister of Pakistan, dear brother Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif,
Dear friends,
Welcome to Azerbaijan, East Zangezur, Lachin.
Today’s Summit is being held on Azerbaijan’s Independence Day, in Lachin, which was liberated from Armenian occupation. This has a great symbolic meaning. Today’s Summit is the second in number. The first Azerbaijan-Türkiye-Pakistan Summit was held in July last year. I am sure that we will continue this tradition.
Our nations are bound by shared history, culture, and values. We have rejoiced in each other’s successes and been there for each other during difficult times.
Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and Pakistan have always championed sovereignty, territorial integrity, and justice. We once again express gratitude for the political and moral support of Türkiye and Pakistan from the first days of the 44-day Patriotic War in 2020. Azerbaijan, in turn, has always stood by Türkiye and Pakistan. Today, we once again reaffirm the unity of our peoples.
There are vast opportunities to gain mutual broad benefits by utilizing the strategic positions of our countries and our dynamic economic potential.
We believe that, through joint projects and programs, cooperation between our countries in political and economic areas, energy, mutual investments, transport, defense, agriculture, information technologies, and other spheres will develop at an even greater pace.
Azerbaijan has invested more than 20 billion U.S. dollars in the Turkish economy and is ready to invest an initial 2 billion U.S. dollars in Pakistan’s economy. Work is currently underway on specific investment projects.
As a result of the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Türkiye, the energy map of not only our region but also the wider geography has changed. Our countries have played an important role in energy security, and today, extensive projects have been launched in the direction of alternative energy production and export. Moreover, transport routes via Azerbaijan and Türkiye, which connect Asia and Europe, have strategic importance. We are confident that Pakistan’s growing engagement in this initiative, exemplified by the multimodal cargo route, will further boost our cooperation.
Defense cooperation is one of the major directions of our partnership. Joint military exercises and projects in the military-technical field have strengthened our armed forces’ capabilities. Our military cooperation reinforces peace and stability in the wider geography.
We should also explore new areas of cooperation, such as digital innovations, artificial intelligence, and space technologies.
Joint cultural events, academic partnerships, and intensification of tourism relations will further strengthen the bonds between our peoples.
Furthermore, our solidarity in international platforms and organizations multiplies our strength. We are committed to reinforcing our collective efforts on international platforms such as the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Economic Cooperation Organization, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), and D-8.
I would also like to once again thank brotherly Türkiye and brotherly Pakistan for the support shown in our country’s unanimous election as a member of D-8 during the 11th Summit of the organization last year.
Dear colleagues,
Azerbaijan has always stood by brotherly Türkiye and Pakistan.
We are deeply pleased with Türkiye’s accomplishments in combating terrorism. The decision of the PKK terrorist group to liquidate itself and disarm is an example of the leadership and determination of President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the strength of Türkiye as a country. This historic event is important not only for Türkiye, but also for peace and tranquility in the region in general. We once again congratulate brotherly Türkiye on this historic event.
We have closely followed the recent escalation between Pakistan and India with great concern and heartfelt hope for peace and stability. In this challenging time, we have openly expressed our solidarity with Pakistan from the first day. We advocate for resolving the conflict through dialogue and peace, in accordance with the principles and norms of international law and the UN Security Council resolutions.
Dear friends, I once again welcome you to Lachin, which is experiencing a period of revival after 30 years of Armenian occupation.
I am sure that Azerbaijan-Türkiye-Pakistan friendship and brotherhood will last into eternity.
Thanks for your attention.