Alliance of strength and brotherhood Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan unite in Astana

Recently, in Astana, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, a trilateral meeting took place between President Ilham Aliyev of the Republic of Azerbaijan, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the Republic of Türkiye, and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

The leaders exchanged views on the prospects for developing trilateral trade and economic relations in line with the political ties between the three countries, cooperation in innovation, energy, agriculture, humanitarian, and other spheres.

The increasing dynamics of current trade and economic relations were noted as a positive development, while emphasizing the importance of aligning them fully with the potential of the countries.

It was noted that Pakistan also participates in the Middle Corridor, which will contribute to advancing trade and economic ties between the countries.

The meeting addressed cooperation in the defence and defence industry, highlighting the significance of the "Three Brothers" special forces joint exercises held in 2021 and proposing regular joint exercises of the Armed Forces of the three countries in the future. The meeting also underscored the organization of joint production by the three countries in the defence industry.

Once again, the Azerbaijani leader invited the President of Türkiye and the Prime Minister of Pakistan to participate in the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

This meeting can be called historic simply by its format—after all, it took place at the highest level, involving the heads of state of three countries. Moreover, the content and outcomes of the meeting can also be termed historic, as they underscored a commitment to strategic cooperation among the three countries in a new era of global history, amidst significant instability and turbulence worldwide.

The three countries, united by a common Islamic culture and history, have the will and determination to herald a revival of a civilizational alliance in the Greater Middle East to the world. Considering that the meeting took place within the SCO summit, it can be inferred that the People's Republic of China, a superpower catalyzing integration projects across Eurasia, positively evaluates such an alliance.

The alliance of Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan possesses sufficient resources to provide military-political resilience against numerous risks and challenges that threaten East-West transportation routes. These include international terrorism and overall risks associated with geopolitical competition among global and regional powers.

The leaders of Türkiye and Pakistan reiterated their full support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan. They emphasized the political and moral support provided by fraternal Türkiye and Pakistan to Azerbaijan during the 44-day war, underscoring that the Azerbaijani people and state highly value this support.

Considering that relations between Baku and Beijing are developing rapidly, culminating recently in the adoption of the "Joint Declaration on the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the People's Republic of China," it can be affirmed that Azerbaijan has made its geopolitical choice, placing Baku and Beijing in the same, if not military, then geopolitical alliance.

The West must align its relentless quest for dominance in the South Caucasus and Central Asia regions with new realities—the largest geostrategic partnership among Eurasian states for the mutual prosperity of each other.

Notably, at the meeting of the leaders of the three states, concern was expressed over the policy of militarization in the South Caucasus by non-regional states. This signal primarily targeted France but equally addressed India, which has embarked on arming Armenia. Azerbaijan, bound in partnerships with key players in Central Asia and the Middle East, demonstrated its commitment to thwarting the militarization of the region through political, diplomatic, and military measures.

The alliance of Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan serves the cause of establishing and maintaining durable peace and stability in the South Caucasus and has the potential to ensure security along the extensive Middle Corridor. It is evident that strengthening and deepening this alliance is in the best interests of the three nations.