ISLAMABAD; Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday evening held a telephone conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who thanked Pakistan for its steadfast support on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, the PMâs Office said.
The call came a day after Shehbaz hailed a US-brokered peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, signed in Washington on Friday in the presence of President Donald Trump. The deal, aimed at normalising relations and boosting economic ties after decades of conflict, was described by the PM as âa proud momentâ for Azerbaijan and âa hopeful step toward lasting peace in the Caucasus.â
Shehbaz congratulated Aliyev and the people of Azerbaijan, praising his âvisionary leadershipâ in ending the three-decade-old dispute. He also lauded Trumpâs ârole as peacemakerâ in facilitating the agreement, which he said would usher in an era of peace and prosperity for the region.
President Aliyev expressed deep gratitude for Pakistanâs unwavering backing over the years, while Shehbaz reiterated that âit has always been a duty for the people of Pakistan to support their Azerbaijani brothers and sisters.â Aliyev noted that stability in the Caucasus would create new opportunities for enhanced connectivity between Pakistan and Central Asia.
The two leaders expressed satisfaction over growing bilateral cooperation and recalled recent meetings in Lachin and Khankendi. Shehbaz renewed his invitation for Aliyev to visit Pakistan soon, with both expected to meet again during the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin.
The ArmeniaâAzerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh dates back to the late 1980s, when the region, home to a mostly ethnic Armenian population, broke away from Baku with Yerevanâs support. The neighbours fought wars in the early 1990s and again in 2020, before Azerbaijan regained full control in a swift 24-hour offensive in September 2023.
