BAKU: Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey share a common stance on the issues of Kashmir, Nagorno-Karabakh and Northern Cyprus, stated Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif.
Asif made these remarks at a joint press conference with the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Turkey, Elmar Mamedyarov and Movlut Chavusoglu in Baku on Thursday.
“We decided that Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey make more extensive use of the trilateral format,” said the foreign minister.
He noted that Thursday’s meeting focused on the discussion of cooperation in the defence sphere and increasing trade turnover between the three countries.
“Our cooperation in this area can develop in the trilateral format. There is no direct airline between Azerbaijan and Pakistan. With this restoration, relationships will grow stronger,” added FM Asif.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov addressing the press conference said Azerbaijan, Pakistan and Turkey are strategic partners.
“The first trilateral meeting of the Azerbaijani, Turkish and Pakistani foreign ministers resulted in intensive consultations,” he said.
The Baku Declaration adopted after the trilateral meeting will play a role for future cooperation, stressed Mammadyarov.
“We discussed cooperation in various fields. From the political point of view, our countries are in the same position. We underlined the importance of developing economic and commercial relations. We also discussed the ongoing conflicts in the region, which pose a threat to stability and security. We also discussed the military and anti-terrorism issues,” said the Azerbaijani foreign minister.
Mammadyarov went on to say: “Our cooperation in the defence sphere is highly intensive. Transport relations are one of the topics of discussion. We suggested that Pakistan benefit from Turkey’s and Azerbaijan’s capabilities in this regard, especially the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. At the meeting, we emphasised the importance of restoring air transport on bilateral and trilateral basis. This creates great opportunities for tourism in the region.”
Meanwhile, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on Thursday received a Pakistani delegation led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif.
Earlier, the first trilateral meeting of the Azerbaijani, Turkish and Pakistani foreign ministers kicked off in Baku on Nov. 30.
The top diplomats discussed cooperation between the three countries, as well as developments in the region.