Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Pakistan boost strategic alliance in Astana

By Sabina Alizade

On July 3, a significant trilateral meeting was held in Astana with the participation of the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. This meeting, held in such a format for the first time, highlights the deep historical, religious, and fraternal ties between the three countries and holds historical significance.

The goal of the meeting was to strengthen cooperation in various fields, including the economy, energy, defense industry, education, and humanitarian programs. The participants expressed confidence in holding such meetings regularly in the future, emphasizing the long-term and deep nature of their relationships.

Special attention was given to discussing current and potential projects in the field of trade and economic cooperation. A positive trend in the relationships between the countries was noted, but the necessity to fully unlock the potential of all participants was also emphasized.

The leaders also announced their intention to deepen military-technical cooperation and conduct regular joint exercises. Joint exercises of special forces under the name "Three Brothers" have already been successfully conducted, serving as a vivid example of military cooperation between the countries.

Pakistan expressed interest in participating in the Middle Corridor project, which fosters economic and trade ties in the region. This project has the potential to become an important element of infrastructure development and interregional cooperation.

Despite the positive outcomes of the meeting, concerns were expressed regarding external influences on the South Caucasus. The leaders underscored the importance of respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of each country.

Concluding the meeting, the participants confirmed their readiness to continue developing trilateral cooperation in all directions and stressed the importance of support and mutual understanding on the international stage.



Political analyst Tural Ismayilov , in an interview with new.az, noted that a closed meeting was held in Astana, where the leaders of Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Pakistan conducted extensive discussions. According to him, these three countries continue their cooperation on various platforms.

“Today, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Pakistan, in a trilateral format, have achieved the highest level of cooperation in both military and diplomatic spheres, as well as in humanitarian and other fields. Naturally, one of the successes of this trilateral format is that each country holds significant geostrategic positions in their regions. All three countries have important economic opportunities and are capable of making their voices heard in the global political system,” noted the political analyst.

T. Ismayilov believes that against the backdrop of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, the meeting of the leaders of the three countries and the discussion of certain issues will further deepen cooperation in the defense industry in the future. He emphasized that Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Pakistan have already held joint military exercises in a trilateral format multiple times, and after these meetings, cooperation in the joint production and export of defense industry products is also possible.



A leading advisor for the Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center), political analyst Matin Mammadli , in an interview with news.az, noted that Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Pakistan are states with very close relations. According to him, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Pakistan have economic, political, strategic, trade, and military partnership relations.

“Especially in the last three years, relations between the three countries have significantly deepened. The depth of these relations was evident during and after the Second Karabakh War. There is already a solid foundation for further deepening relations between the three countries, and I think that the leaders of all three countries discussed the future prospects of their relations in Astana,” noted M. Mammadli.
The political analyst emphasized that against the backdrop of processes in the Eurasian space in recent years, the importance of Azerbaijan has significantly increased, also from a logistical standpoint.

“Today, Azerbaijan is one of the key countries on the Middle Corridor. Azerbaijan plays an important role in the implementation of the Middle Corridor project. At the same time, Pakistan is a regional state in the Eurasian space with serious resources. Participation in the Middle Corridor is also important for Pakistan. I believe that in the future, the importance of the Middle Corridor in Pakistan’s strategy will increase,” added the political analyst.

Thus, the trilateral meeting in Astana became an important moment in the history of cooperation between Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Pakistan, confirming the desire to deepen mutual cooperation and strengthen friendly relations in all areas of life and development of their peoples.

Currently, serious political and geopolitical processes are taking place in various regions of the world. Some countries continue to suffer from wars and terrorism. Azerbaijan ensured its independence and liberated its lands from occupation in the 44-day war.

Today, Muslim countries constantly face double standards and unjust positions. In this context, strengthening unity and solidarity among Muslim countries is of particular importance. In the modern era, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Pakistan are successfully developing an exemplary cooperation model.

News.Az