(MENAFN- AzerNews)
By Vugar Khalilov
In 2022, Azerbaijan marks the 30th anniversary of establishing
diplomatic relations with the subjects of international relations -
both individual states and international organizations.
Azernews - the nation's first English language newspaper -
launched a new project, designed to cover the major aspects of the
30-year-long diplomatic ties between Azerbaijan and individual
states.
On June 9, Pakistan and Azerbaijan marked the 30th anniversary
of the establishment of diplomatic relations. There is a special
political bond between Pakistan and Azerbaijan that transcends
their geographical distance. It opens the door for collaboration in
a number of fields, notably those related to business and the
military.
Since Azerbaijan's independence, various events have been held
to discuss how to boost multifaceted cooperation, as well as trade
between Azerbaijan and Pakistan. The two fraternal nations enjoy
strategic partnership relations.
Over the 30-year-long period of diplomatic relations, the two
countries have been able to build strong ties based on partnership
in the economic, cultural, and educational spheres. For the
convenience of our readers, we are trying to shed light on specific
aspects of the relations in a Q&A format.
Q: When did Azerbaijan and Pakistan establish
diplomatic relations?
A: Pakistan was one of the first countries to recognize the
independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan on December 12, 1991.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on
June 9, 1992. The Pakistani embassy in Baku was established on
March 12, 1993, and the Azerbaijani Embassy in Islamabad on August
24, 1997.
Q: What are the common points between the two states
regarding the territorial integrity issue?
A: Pakistan supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders and has
always condemned the Armenian aggression. Pakistan has not
established diplomatic ties with Armenia due to its occupation
policy against Azerbaijan and has not formally recognized it. In
2012, the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Senate of Pakistan,
and in 2017, the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the National
Assembly adopted resolutions recognizing the Khojaly genocide and
condemning the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan.
Moreover, Pakistan supported Azerbaijan during the 44-day war
with Armenia in 2020, which ended with the liberation of
Azerbaijani territories from the 30-year-long occupation. The
Pakistani National Assembly unanimously approved a resolution in
October 2020 denouncing the Armenian attack on Azerbaijan.
Expressing solidarity with the nation, the Pakistani Senate's
Standing Committee on the Cabinet Secretariat also unanimously
approved a resolution denouncing Armenia's actions against
Azerbaijan.
According to an agreement reached between the Pakistani and
Azerbaijani governments, Islamabad supports Baku in the Karabakh
conflict in exchange for Baku's aid in the Kashmir issue.
Azerbaijan had been a consistent advocate for the rights of the
Kashmiri people as a member of the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir.
Q: What do we know about the two nations' bilateral
political ties and cooperation?
A: Azerbaijan places a high value on its relations with Pakistan
and is eager to deepen them in all spheres.
On February 28 - March 1, 2017, Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev paid a visit to Pakistan to attend the 13th Summit of the
Economic Cooperation Organization.
On October 25-26, 2019, Pakistani President Arif Alvi visited
Azerbaijan within the framework of the 18th Summit of the
Non-Aligned Movement.
On November 30 December 1, 2017, Pakistani Foreign Minister
Khawaja Mohammad Asif visited Azerbaijan within the framework of
the 1st Tripartite Meeting of Azerbaijani-Pakistani-Turkish Foreign
Ministers and the 7th Ministerial Meeting of the Heart of
Asia-Istanbul Process.
On 13-14 January 2021, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun
Bayramov paid an official visit to Pakistan to attend the 2nd
Tripartite Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of
Azerbaijan-Pakistan-Türkiye.
The Working Group for the Azerbaijani-Pakistani
Inter-Parliamentary Relations, led by MP Ganira Pashayeva, operates
in the Azerbaijani parliament.
The Pakistani-Azerbaijani Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group
under Assad Geyser operates in the Pakistani National Assembly.
Moreover, Muhammad Talha Mahmood is the head of the
Pakistani-Azerbaijani Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group in the
Senate.
In total, thirty-six documents were signed between Azerbaijan
and Pakistan.
What is the level of military cooperation between
the two nations?
A: The two nations' top brass conduct regular meetings to
discuss the prospects of future military cooperation.
During the 44-day war with Armenia in 2020, Pakistan was among
the first countries to voice political support for Azerbaijan.
Pakistan also supports Azerbaijan in the restoration of the
country's liberated territories.
In September 2021, the Azerbaijani, Turkish and Pakistani
special forces conducted joint international drills in Baku,
codenamed Three Brothers - 2021. Under the drills plan, the special
forces units carried out practical shootings, using small arms and
grenade launchers, the report added.
Furthermore, the parliaments of Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Pakistan
signed the Baku Declaration on cooperation. The document was signed
following the trilateral meeting held by speakers of the three
countries' parliaments on July 27, 2021.
Azerbaijan and Pakistan signed a memorandum of understanding on
military cooperation during the fifth meeting of the relevant
working group in Islamabad in 2014. Over a hundred Azerbaijani
military officers have been trained in the past ten years by
Pakistani military professionals.
Pakistan and Azerbaijan are negotiating over the sale of JF-17
Thunder multirole fighter jets. Plans to conduct joint military
drills were confirmed by President Aliyev and PM Sharif in October
2016. Azerbaijan is interested in buying Pakistani Super Mushak
trainer planes.
Q: What type of economic ties do the two countries
have?
A: Azerbaijan and Pakistan cooperate in various
sectors of the economy. The two nations signed a treaty on the
creation of a joint commission at the state level in the fall of
1995, as well as an agreement on cooperation in trade and economy.
Every two years, the commission holds its meetings in the capital
cities of both nations. The National Bank of Pakistan opened a
branch in Baku in 2005.
The trade turnover between the two countries totaled $11.7
million in 2021. However, based on newly-inked agreements, both
nations want to grow this number even further over the course of
years to come. Pakistan, as an oil importing country, considers
Azerbaijan an important trade partner due to its huge energy
capacity (oil and gas). A special working group on the growth of
bilateral investment cooperation has been created between Pakistani
trade and Azerbaijan's economy ministries to achieve additional
growth in trade.
Under the bilateral agreement between the energy ministries of
both countries (dated February 2017), Azerbaijan exports a number
of oil and gas products, including furnace oil, petrol, diesel, and
liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Pakistan. On June 20, 2016, Pakistan
inked a deal to import energy, crude and refined oil products, and
liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from Azerbaijan.
Q: What is the extent of cultural cooperation
between the two countries?
A: The Azerbaijan-Pakistan relations are also growing in the
cultural and religious spheres. There is a particular division of
the language department devoted to the study of Urdu at Baku State
University.
The Joint Declaration on the Twinning of the Cities of Ganja,
Azerbaijan, and Multan, Pakistan, was approved in the spring of
1996. The book 'On the works of the prominent Azerbaijani thinker
Jalil Mammadguluzada' was published in Islamabad in 2004 in two
languages, English and Urdu.
The Heydar Aliyev Foundation spearheaded the building of a new
secondary school in the rural community of Rara in the city of
Muzaffarabad in February 2008. The Foundation also provided funding
for the development of a brand-new building for the Khyber Eye
Foundation's medical facility in Peshawar.
Recently, the Azerbaijani government allocated $2 million to
Pakistan to cope with the dire consequences of the catastrophic
floods, which led to numerous casualties and large-scale
destruction in Pakistan.
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