Pakistan, Armenia Take Historic Step in Bilateral Relations

Pakistan and Armenia officially established diplomatic relations.

Until now, the two countries had no formal diplomatic ties, with relations shaped by regional geopolitical tensions, The Caspian Post reports via Pakistan’s media.

Pakistan historically supported Azerbaijan against Armenia in the Karabakh conflict.

Earlier this week, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stated that Pakistan had agreed to consider establishing diplomatic relations with Armenia following a phone call with his counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan, after the recent peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Islamabad and Yerevan formalized diplomatic ties through a joint communique exchanged in Tianjin on the sidelines of the ongoing Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

“Marking a historic step forward, both the leaders [Dar and Mirzoyan] affirmed their commitment to the principles and objectives of [the] United Nations Charter and discussed possible avenues of cooperation, including economy, education, culture, and tourism,” the Foreign Office said.

“The two leaders reaffirmed their desire to work closely with each other at bilateral and multilateral fora, to achieve their shared objectives of peace, progress, and prosperity for the peoples of their two countries.”

In a post on X, Dar said he was pleased to sign the joint communique with his Armenian counterpart, echoing the FO’s remarks on commitment to the principles of the UN Charter, and shared photos of the signing ceremony with both national flags displayed.

The Armenian Foreign Minister also posted on X: “By this major step, our governments express their desire to develop mutually beneficial cooperation in line [with] the UN Charter [and] readiness to foster constructive engagement in multilateral fora.”

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised US President Donald Trump’s role in brokering the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal.

“Pakistan welcomes the historic peace agreement signed between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia at the White House Summit under the auspices of US President Donald J Trump,” the premier wrote on X, congratulating both countries for “charting a course for a peaceful future for their region,” and adding: “Pakistan has always stood by the brotherly nation of Azerbaijan and we stand with them at this proud moment of their history.”