Lachin, May 28, AZERTAC

A Summit of Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Türkiye, and Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, was held in Lachin.

The President of Azerbaijan delivered a speech at the Summit.

Speech by President Ilham Aliyev

- Esteemed President of Türkiye, dear brother Recep Tayyip Erdoğan,

Esteemed Prime Minister of Pakistan, dear brother Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif,

Dear friends,

Welcome to Azerbaijan, East Zangezur, Lachin.

Today’s Summit is being held on Azerbaijan’s Independence Day, in Lachin, which was liberated from Armenian occupation. This has a great symbolic meaning. Today’s Summit is the second in number. The first Azerbaijan-Türkiye-Pakistan Summit was held in July last year. I am sure that we will continue this tradition.

Our nations are bound by shared history, culture, and values. We have rejoiced in each other’s successes and been there for each other during difficult times.

Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and Pakistan have always championed sovereignty, territorial integrity, and justice. We once again express gratitude for the political and moral support of Türkiye and Pakistan from the first days of the 44-day Patriotic War in 2020. Azerbaijan, in turn, has always stood by Türkiye and Pakistan. Today, we once again reaffirm the unity of our peoples.

There are vast opportunities to gain mutual broad benefits by utilizing the strategic positions of our countries and our dynamic economic potential.

We believe that, through joint projects and programs, cooperation between our countries in political and economic areas, energy, mutual investments, transport, defense, agriculture, information technologies, and other spheres will develop at an even greater pace.

Azerbaijan has invested more than 20 billion U.S. dollars in the Turkish economy and is ready to invest an initial 2 billion U.S. dollars in Pakistan’s economy. Work is currently underway on specific investment projects.

As a result of the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Türkiye, the energy map of not only our region but also the wider geography has changed. Our countries have played an important role in energy security, and today, extensive projects have been launched in the direction of alternative energy production and export. Moreover, transport routes via Azerbaijan and Türkiye, which connect Asia and Europe, have strategic importance. We are confident that Pakistan’s growing engagement in this initiative, exemplified by the multimodal cargo route, will further boost our cooperation.

Defense cooperation is one of the major directions of our partnership. Joint military exercises and projects in the military-technical field have strengthened our armed forces’ capabilities. Our military cooperation reinforces peace and stability in the wider geography.

We should also explore new areas of cooperation, such as digital innovations, artificial intelligence, and space technologies.

Joint cultural events, academic partnerships, and intensification of tourism relations will further strengthen the bonds between our peoples.

Furthermore, our solidarity in international platforms and organizations multiplies our strength. We are committed to reinforcing our collective efforts on international platforms such as the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Economic Cooperation Organization, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), and D-8.

I would also like to once again thank brotherly Türkiye and brotherly Pakistan for the support shown in our country’s unanimous election as a member of D-8 during the 11th Summit of the organization last year.

Dear colleagues,

Azerbaijan has always stood by brotherly Türkiye and Pakistan.

We are deeply pleased with Türkiye’s accomplishments in combating terrorism. The decision of the PKK terrorist group to liquidate itself and disarm is an example of the leadership and determination of President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the strength of Türkiye as a country. This historic event is important not only for Türkiye, but also for peace and tranquility in the region in general. We once again congratulate brotherly Türkiye on this historic event.

We have closely followed the recent escalation between Pakistan and India with great concern and heartfelt hope for peace and stability. In this challenging time, we have openly expressed our solidarity with Pakistan from the first day. We advocate for resolving the conflict through dialogue and peace, in accordance with the principles and norms of international law and the UN Security Council resolutions.

Dear friends, I once again welcome you to Lachin, which is experiencing a period of revival after 30 years of Armenian occupation.

I am sure that Azerbaijan-Türkiye friendship and brotherhood will last into eternity.

Thank you for your attention.

X X X

Then, the President of Türkiye addressed the event.

Speech by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

- My dear brother, President Ilham Aliyev,

My dear friend, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif,

Dear media representatives,

I am greeting you with most sincere feelings and love.

We are gathered for the second meeting of the Türkiye-Azerbaijan-Pakistan Trilateral Summit today. The first Summit was held in Astana last year. I would like to thank my brother Ilham Aliyev for this warm hospitality.

At the beginning of my speech, I would like to congratulate our dear Azerbaijan on the occasion of May 28 – Independence Day. I pay tribute to the memory of our martyrs who sacrificed their lives to secure independence for Azerbaijan.

We are three brotherly countries that share common ideals based on mutual love, respect and trust, and benefiting from the same cultural environment. We are further strengthening the ties between our countries, which have a population of approximately 350 million and an economic power of 1.5 trillion dollars. I would like to emphasize that we are behind every step aimed at transforming our alliance into a strategic partnership.

The events taking place in our region are showing clearly how important the solidarity between our countries is. With the liberation of Azerbaijan’s lands, which had remained under occupation for 30 years, we would like to see this region become a center of stability, prosperity and development. I believe that the Lachin Airport, which we inaugurated this morning, will make a significant contribution to the development and integration with the world that the region has long yearned for many years.

We welcomed my dear brother Mr. Shehbaz Sharif in Istanbul three days ago. During our meeting, we reviewed partnership issues within the framework of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council. We agreed to further strengthen the deep historical and humanitarian relations between Türkiye and Pakistan.

I would like to take this opportunity to express our satisfaction that the fact that the tensions between Pakistan and India have resulted in a ceasefire. I congratulate our brother Shehbaz and the Pakistani officials again for the restrained and determined position they have demonstrated during this process. Our wish is for the declared ceasefire to turn into lasting peace. Türkiye stands ready to make every contribution it can to this end.

My dear brothers, our countries are located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and in an extremely strategic region. We are facing many challenges at the same time, ranging from security threats to economic difficulties, energy and food crises in our geography and beyond. In the face of these difficulties, however, we see the development of our goal of solidarity and joint action as a necessity, not an option.

Today, we are exchanging views with our dear brothers on important issues in order to further advance our trilateral cooperation. Our foreign ministers will carry out the necessary work in the coming period to organize our trilateral cooperation. They will prepare a strong framework reflecting the common vision of our countries, especially in areas such as trade, investment, transport, energy, defense industry and counter-terrorism, which are shaping our common agenda.

As Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Pakistan, we will institutionalize our cooperation by organizing regular trilateral summits and ministerial meetings. We will deepen our defense cooperation and continue our common determination to fight terrorism and cross-border threats. We aim to take joint steps in the areas of trade facilitation, investment promotion and digital transformation.

In the field of transport, which represents a very strategic aspect of our cooperation, we will jointly contribute to projects such as the Development Road, the Middle Corridor and the North-South Transport Corridor. In the fields of culture and education, we will work on projects that will expand mutual contacts, especially between our youth and scientists. We will jointly evaluate opportunities in the fields of energy security, food security and renewable energy.

Inshallah, by implementing ambitious projects in all these areas, we will raise our trilateral cooperation to an even higher level and provide new achievements to our peoples.

My dear brothers, in this era of deepening polarization and growing bloc alignments, we are witnessing the international system increasingly being dragged into a crisis of legitimacy. A clear example of the crisis the international system is experiencing in this regard is Israel's unstoppable oppression in Palestine and the expansionist policy it continues to pursue. We are determined to continue defending the rights of innocent children and people who are being openly killed in Gaza. I would like to emphasize again that we will resist all attempts to destabilize our region. Our geography is saturated with blood and tears. From here, we call on the whole world to increase pressure on the Israeli government to ensure a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and to deliver uninterrupted and urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza.

At the end of my speech, I would like to express my gratitude again to the people of Azerbaijan led by my brother Ilham Aliyev, especially my brothers from Lachin, for their sincere hospitality.

I greet you again with most sincere feelings and once again congratulate you on May 28 - Independence Day. May Almighty Allah open our path and destiny. May our brotherhood be eternal and our unity sustainable. Thank you and stay well.

X X X

Later, the Prime Minister of Pakistan delivered a speech.

Speech by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif

- Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Honorable President Ilham Aliyev,

Honorable President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan,

Honorable ministers, distinguished delegates, Assalamu Alaikum and a very good afternoon.

At the outset, I would like to congratulate my dear brother, President Ilham Aliyev and our brothers and sisters in Azerbaijan on your Independence Day and the way Azeri nation fought for its liberation. You earned high position on the international stage.

I would also like to, at this point, extend my heartfelt felicitations to my dear brother, President Tayyip Erdoğan for having very skillfully resolving the issue of PKK and that goes to explain in volumes, my brother, your diplomatic skills to resolve this issue. By virtue of this, you have earned a high place and influence not only in the region but beyond.

My dear brother, President Ilham Aliyev, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for your very warm welcome and generous hospitality extended to my delegation and to me. It is a profound honor to join my very dear brothers, President Aliyev and President Erdoğan in this August setting that reflects the meeting of hearts and souls of genuine friends and sincere well-wishers. Watching the fluttering of flags of Azerbaijan, Türkiye and Pakistan here in the serene beauty of Lachin, our hearts are filled with immense joy and pride.

Excellencies, we met in July last year at Astana in the trilateral format and had the most fruitful discussions on issues of mutual interest and now at this stunningly beautiful venue of Lachin, we are now eagerly looking forward to take our trilateral partnership to new heights that would be in consonance with the wishes and desires of our peoples. This should be no surprise to anyone as Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Türkiye are bound together by deep historical, cultural and spiritual ties forged through centuries of shared values and mutual support.

My dear brothers, in more recent times, this historical relationship has been further strengthened as we have stood by each other, whether it be on Karabakh, Kashmir or northern Turkish Cyprus. Our strength lies in our solidarity and our mutual respect. This is but only natural as our peoples too have given us their passionate support as witness in the outpouring of love and affection in both Türkiye and Azerbaijan. We could not but be mesmerized with the intensity of fervor and enthusiasm of our common citizens. During Pakistan's recent conflict with India, which not only failed to bring up any credible evidence against Pakistan, but also rejected our sincere and generous offer of a neutral, transparent investigation into the so-called incident at Pahalgam by any international body.

My dear brothers, the world we live in faces numerous grave challenges, including armed conflicts, climate change, diseases and economic crisis. This is why the three of us have assembled here today, opting for compassion while rejecting conflict. We are confident that patience and wisdom will ultimately usher in peace and prosperity. In today's unpredictable and volatile world, political security architectures, connectivity alignments and emerging technologies are shaping the new reality. In such a situation, Pakistan is very fortunate to have sincere brothers like Türkiye and Azerbaijan, who have stood together with us as impregnable rocks and whom we can trust without a second thought, unhesitatingly, as brothers-in-arms, forever united in peace, justice and morality.

Dear brothers, I am confident that our time-tested relationship would not only be beneficial for the well-being of our own people, but also contribute to peace and prosperity in the region and beyond. This trilateral format is both very timely and of great importance and significance for all of us, as it gives us the necessary political ownership and the impetus to move forward collectively and in unison in all spheres of our common interests.

Finally, I would once again like to thank you from the core of my heart to have supported Pakistan in the recent conflict, which was obviously very serious. It was an aggression from India against Pakistan for no rhyme or reason. And at that point in time, my very dear brother, President Tayyip Erdoğan, your firm stand and your solidarity with the people of Pakistan, as well as my very dear brother, President Ilham Aliyev, your unwavering commitment with the people of Pakistan and firm stand during this crisis has earned the highest level of appreciation and deep gratitude from the people of Pakistan, my government and myself. And we will remain grateful to both of you and the both nations for all time to come.

My statement would be incomplete if I, at this point in time, did not mention about the role of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, who led the armed forces of Pakistan, who fought with great bravery and highest level of professional acumen and the entire Pakistani nation standing behind our armed forces and him. I saw him during those moments, God fearing, fearless, firm and with an iron resolve, with patience and obviously with fortitude to face that aggression. Alhamdulillah, with Allah Almighty's infinite blessings and kindness and the support of the people of Pakistan and your support, we were victorious.

But I have said in all humility that we want peace in the region. Yesterday we wanted peace, today we want peace and tomorrow we want peace. And that requires talks on the table on issues, which need urgent attention and amicable resolution. That is the issue of Kashmir according to the resolutions of United Nations and Security Council and as per the aspirations of the people of Kashmir.

The second is the water issue. Unfortunately, my very dear brothers, India tried to weaponize Indus Waters Treaty, which is a lifeline for the people of Pakistan, 240 million people for their agriculture use, their own use for drinking purposes and many other purposes. I think this is most unfortunate that India tried to threaten to stop our flow of water to Pakistan. This is not possible, this was never possible and this will not be possible inshallah. We are making proper arrangements to ensure that India never ever does it.

The final is the question of terrorism. I have said in all earnest that if India wants to talk on countering terrorism in sincerity of purpose, Pakistan would be willing to talk to India on this issue as well. But this is a fact of life, my very dear brothers, that we are the biggest victim of terrorism around the globe. We lost 90,000 people, valuable lives of Pakistan and we have lost 150 billion dollars worth of economic losses over the last many decades and there cannot be a bigger commitment and our intention to beat this menace for all time to come. And in that, if India wants in all sincerity, honest cooperation, Pakistan would be willing along with promotion of trade with India.

All these issues need to be discussed on table. I would be extremely grateful for your support in this behalf as my very dear brothers and real brothers in fact. May Allah Almighty in his wisdom and benevolence guide us in the journey that we are undertaking.

Thank you my dear brothers, long live Pakistan- Azerbaijan-Türkiye friendship and brotherhood!