Three's Friends!

Pakistan, Turkey and Azerbaijan have always had an envious trilateral relationship, which has a lot of potential for growth in many fields. Most importantly, since Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken the reins of power in his hands, the three states have come very close to each other, lending a helping hand to each other in their difficult times. Last year, as a case in example, Pakistan and Turkey were the leading countries which offered multilateral support to Azerbaijan during its war with Armenia over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The three countries - Azerbaijan, Pakistan and Turkey - have continuously been supporting each other at various international fora on matters of their mutual concerns, not to exclude their territorial disputes, such as Kashmir, the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the Republic of Cyprus. On various occasions in the past, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has expressed his deep concern at India’s gross human rights violations in Kashmir, stating “Azerbaijan considers Pakistan its close friend” and will “continue to support it” the country at every forum.

In January, Prime Minister Imran Khan released a statement about his meeting with the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. In his statement, PM Imran Khan emphasised the commitment of both the countries to further strengthen trade relations and highlighted that investments by Turkish companies in Pakistan have increased by over USD1 billion. During President Erdoğan’s visit to Pakistan in February 2020, the two countries signed a Strategic Economic Framework agreement that covers a broad spectrum of cooperation in science and technology, defence, tourism, education, and health.

In addition to that, the military forces of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Pakistani launched their first-ever joint exercises in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The heads of Turkish and Pakistani delegations, Lt. Col. Kursat Konuk and Lt. Col. Aamir Shahzad, highlighted the existing bond of friendship between the three nations, which "would stand the test of time" in a rapidly-changing global environment. The "three brothers will grow together" as reliable regional partners and collaborators despite international political changes, they added.

Later, the Parliament Speakers of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Pakistan consented to the Baku Declaration in a ceremony, which was held at the Azerbaijani Parliament in July. The joint declaration emphasizes the need to strengthen cooperation among the three countries, based on cultural and historical times, mutual respect and confidence. It also emphasized their role in building peace and bringing stability to their regions.

Through the SouthAsia Magazine (https://southasia.com.pk/), the writer wants to convey a message to the people of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Pakistan. I have a statement to make: 'We, the people of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Pakistan, will keep moving forward being the three brotherly countries, and will always support each other in the need of the hour.'