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ISTANBUL

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday said that his country, as well as Türkiye and Pakistan, have stood for sovereignty, territorial integrity and justice.

“Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and Pakistan have always stood for sovereignty, territorial integrity and justice,” Aliyev said at a trilateral summit with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in Lachin.

He said today’s summit has “great symbolic meaning,” adding that the first such summit was held in July last year, and that he is certain this tradition will continue.

Aliyev expressed gratitude to both Türkiye and Pakistan for their political and moral support since the first days of the 44-day conflict in the Karabakh region in fall 2020, underlining that Baku has also stood by Ankara and Islamabad.

"Today, we once again affirm the unity of our peoples," the Azerbaijani president said, adding there are vast opportunities between them to achieve mutual benefits by leveraging their countries' strategic position and economic potential.

He further said that Azerbaijan has invested more than $20 billion in the Turkish economy, declaring Baku's readiness to invest $2 billion in Pakistan's economy.

Aliyev also touched on energy relations, stating that due to Azerbaijan and Türkiye’s cooperation, the energy map of the region, as well as the wider geography, has changed.

“Our countries have played an important role in ensuring energy security, and today, large-scale projects have been launched in the direction of the production and export of renewable energy.

“At the same time, the transport routes connecting Asia and Europe through Azerbaijan and Türkiye are of strategic importance,” he went on to say.

He added they are confident that Pakistan's close participation in this initiative through the development of a multimodal freight route will further boost cooperation.

Aliyev also described defense cooperation as one of the important issues of their partnership, saying that their military cooperation strengthens peace and stability in a wide geography.

"We should also explore new areas of cooperation, such as digital innovation, artificial intelligence, and space technologies," he said.

He further said that the terrorist group PKK's decision to disband and surrender its weapons is "an example of the leadership and determination of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the strength of the Turkish state."

"This historic event is an important issue not only for Türkiye, but also for peace and tranquility in the region as a whole. I congratulate brotherly Türkiye once again on this historic event," he expressed.

The Azerbaijani president also conveyed that Baku has been closely following the recent tensions between Pakistan and India with "great concern," and with the hope that peace and stability will be restored.

"We support a peaceful and negotiated resolution of the conflict, based on the norms and principles of international law and the resolutions of the UN Security Council," he added.