Page 20 - SAHA EXPO 2024 - DAY 2

OPINION corridor, which passes through Azerbaijan
and Türkiye, offers a strategic route con-
necting Asia and Europe. The commitment
THREE BROTHERS to developing this corridor underscores
the strategic economic importance of the
trilateral cooperation, promising new oppor-
tunities for trade, investment, and economic
Turkey, Azerbaijan and Pakistan trilateral growth. At the trilateral summit, Pakistan’s
participation in the Middle Corridor was
co-operation has a lot of potential discussed and its potential to contribute
to the promotion of economic and trade
relations between the countries involved
By Dr Vasif earlier trilateral declaration of the foreign was stressed.
Huseynov ministers (2017) in its support of the ter-
ritorial integrity of the three countries. The Furthermore, defence collaboration featured
On July 3, 2024, Ilham declaration expressed support to Azerbaijan prominently in the summit. The leaders dis-
Aliyev, President of in its efforts to rebuild and rehabilitate the cussed the importance of regular joint mil-
Azerbaijan, Recep liberated Karabakh territories; to Pakistan in itary exercises to strengthen their defence
Tayyip Erdoğan, its conflict over Jammu and Kashmir, call- capabilities. The success of the “Three
President of Türkiye, ing for a resolution in accordance with the Brothers” military exercises held in 2021
and Shahbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of respective United Nations Security Council was cited as a model for future collabora-
Pakistan, came together in their first tri- resolutions; and to Türkiye in the settlement tions. These exercises not only enhanced
lateral summit in Astana, Kazakhstan. The of the disputes in Cyprus, the Aegean and military readiness but also fostered greater
summit, held on the sidelines of the 24th the Eastern Mediterranean, on the basis of understanding and interoperability among
Meeting of the Council of Heads of State international law. the armed forces of the three nations. The
of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization potential for joint defence production was
(SCO), marked a significant milestone in The leaders’ meeting in Astana highlighted also explored, reflecting a strategic move
the growing cooperation among the three these connections and underlined the im- towards self-reliance and mutual support
countries. It underscored an elevation of portance of further deepening their bonds. in defence technologies. This aspect of
the trilateral format in their cooperation They expressed a commitment to regular trilateral cooperation is particularly signifi-
from the existing parliamentary and min- high-level meetings and continued support cant given the complex security dynamics
isterial levels to the state leadership and for each other within various platforms of the wider region.
as such highlighted their interest in deeper and international organisations. The three
collaboration in various spheres, including leaders stressed the importance of broader Cultural and educational exchanges were
economy and military. initiatives to bring their nations closer and also a key focus of the summit. The leaders
proposed some steps towards this purpose. agreed on the importance of promoting
The historical and cultural bonds between cultural understanding and academic col-
Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and Pakistan are Economic cooperation was a central theme laboration, aiming to strengthen the histor-
well-rooted. These fraternal ties, grounded of the trilateral discussions at the summit. ical bonds and foster deeper connections
in shared cultural, historical, and religious The leaders emphasized the need to boost among their peoples. Initiatives in this area
values, have been a foundation for their trade and economic relations, recognizing include educational exchanges, joint cultural
partnership and proved to be important in the significant potential for collaboration projects, and people-to-people contacts. The
critical moments. In 2017, the three coun- in various sectors, including innovation, launch of direct flights between Azerbaijan
tries made a move to launch a trilateral energy, agriculture, and education. The trade and Pakistan has significantly contributed
format for cooperation and consultations relations between Pakistan and its Turkic to these contacts between the countries
concerning common challenges and op- partners are positively affected by their and bilateral tourism. The two countries are
portunities. In November of that year, they commitments for deeper ties. working on expanding flight connectivity
laid the groundwork for this format with Azerbaijan’s trade turnover with Pakistan and conducting flights from various cities
Azerbaijan’s then-foreign minister Elmar reached a record level of 28 million USD in of the two countries.
Mammadyarov hosting a trilateral meeting 2022, while Türkiye’s trade with this coun- The future of the trilateral cooperation be-
with his counterparts Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu try also marked a record growth reach- tween Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and Pakistan
of Türkiye and Khawaja Muhammad Asif ing 1.3 billion USD in that year. All three looks promising. Their collaborative efforts
of Pakistan. The three countries boosted countries agree that this falls short of the in economic integration, security collabo-
the trilateral cooperation in the wake of real potential, and they must take more ration, and cultural exchange will not only
Azerbaijan’s historic victory in the Second steps to strengthen economic bonds. Baku benefit their respective populations but
Karabakh War (2020) during which Baku and Islamabad are expected to finalize the also contribute to broader regional stability
received significant political support from Preferential Trade Agreement soon, which and prosperity. The commitment to regular
Ankara and Islamabad. includes tax and customs privileges on 15 high-level meetings and enhanced collabo-
In July 2021, Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and or more products and services. It is expect- ration in various sectors ensures that this
Pakistan established another dimension ed that as a result of these privileges, the trilateral cooperation will continue to evolve,
of the trilateral cooperation by launching trade turnover between the two countries addressing emerging challenges and lever-
the parliamentary format. The declaration will exceed $40 million in the next 2-3 years. aging new opportunities for mutual benefit.
of the three parliamentary speakers after One of the key highlights was the discussion Dr Vasif Huseynov, is a Senior Advisor at the
their first meeting in Baku vowed to build on the Middle Corridor initiative, which is Center of Analysis of International Relations
lasting tripartite cooperation between their crucial for enhancing trade routes and eco- (AIR Center) and Adjunct Lecturer at Khazar
parliaments and was more explicit than the nomic integration across the region. This University in Baku, Azerbaijan.

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