ISLAMABAD – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced on Friday that Pakistan and Armenia have agreed to explore the possibility of establishing formal diplomatic relations.
The development followed Dar’s telephonic conversation with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. “Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan, and I held a cordial conversation today and agreed to consider establishing diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Armenia,” Dar wrote in a post on X.
Pakistan and Armenia have never established diplomatic ties, with relations largely shaped by regional geopolitics. Islamabad has consistently supported Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, aligning itself with Baku in its decades-long rivalry with Yerevan.
The move comes just weeks after Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a US-brokered peace agreement, facilitated during a meeting with US President Donald Trump. Analysts believe the deal could pave the way for enhanced economic cooperation between the two long-feuding nations.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which erupted in the late 1980s, saw the mountainous Azerbaijani territory — mostly populated by ethnic Armenians — break away with Yerevan’s backing. In 2023, Azerbaijan regained full control of the enclave, leading nearly 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee to Armenia.
Reacting to the peace accord, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hailed it as “historic,” saying it heralded a new era of peace, stability, and cooperation in the South Caucasus. “We congratulate President Ilham Aliyev and the people of Azerbaijan on this landmark agreement, which reflects wisdom and foresight in charting a course for a peaceful future in the region,” Sharif said in a statement on X.
The prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering support for Azerbaijan and lauded the role of the United States, under President Trump, in facilitating the breakthrough. He said the agreement would open new avenues for trade, connectivity, and regional integration after decades of conflict.
