Azerbaijan–Türkiye–Pakistan: solidarity, respect, defence Following the military parade in Baku

Azerbaijan – Türkiye – Pakistan… President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif… A truly unique brotherly alliance. And at the same time, a geopolitical one. A spiritual, moral, and cultural-humanitarian alliance.

Yesterday, during the participation of these three leaders in the military parade dedicated to the fifth anniversary of the Great Victory in the Patriotic War, the national anthems of Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and Pakistan were performed, and the memory of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev and the heroic martyrs was honoured with a minute of silence.

This moment recalled the words spoken by President Ilham Aliyev on May 28 this year at the trilateral summit in Lachin, which took place following the participation of the head of state, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in the opening ceremony of the Lachin International Airport.

On that day, President Aliyev emphasised that the nations of our three countries are united by common history, culture, and values, and noted that Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and Pakistan have always stood for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and justice. Expressing his gratitude for the political and moral support provided by Ankara and Islamabad from the first days of the 2020 Patriotic War, the head of state stated that Azerbaijan has likewise always stood by Türkiye and Pakistan. The Lachin meeting, he said, reaffirmed the unity of our peoples.

In turn, President Erdoğan, noting that our brotherly nations share common ideals, emphasised Ankara’s support for every step taken toward transforming the unity of Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan into a strategic partnership.

Prime Minister Sharif, highlighting the profound cultural, historical, and spiritual ties among the three states—bonds built over centuries on shared values and mutual support—described solidarity and mutual respect as our greatest strength. “Pakistan is truly fortunate to have such sincere brothers as Türkiye and Azerbaijan, who stand with us like unbreakable rocks,” said the Pakistani Prime Minister.

This line of unity among our countries and peoples was reaffirmed yesterday, on 8 November, clearly demonstrating its enduring strength. This was evident from the very beginning of President Ilham Aliyev’s address, in which he underscored the crucial role of the two states during the Second Karabakh War and once again drew attention to their political and moral support, which strengthened and inspired the Azerbaijani people. As the head of state stressed, President Erdoğan’s statement during the war—“Azerbaijan is not alone; Türkiye stands by Azerbaijan!”—was a powerful message to the entire world, and our nation will never forget this brotherly support.

The participation of Turkish servicemen in yesterday’s military parade, President Aliyev added, was yet another manifestation of our unity.

Commenting on the participation of Shehbaz Sharif in the military parade—whom, like Erdoğan, President Aliyev referred to as a dear brother—the President of Azerbaijan underlined that the state and people of Pakistan supported Azerbaijan and showed solidarity during the 44-day Patriotic War. The participation of Pakistani servicemen in the parade, he noted, symbolised the unity of the peoples and armies of our three countries.

At the same time, the head of state made a remarkable excursion into recent history, recounting Azerbaijan’s path to the Great Victory. He emphasised that a number of countries that stood behind Armenia and provided it with political, economic, and military support sought to “separate our ancient Karabakh land from Azerbaijan.” Yet all those biased forces were ultimately disgraced. As President Aliyev reminded, in his inaugural address back in 2003, he had pledged to liberate all the occupied lands — a promise that has now been fulfilled.

According to him, by raising its voice on the international stage and achieving economic independence, Baku laid “the political foundation of our Victory.” Through pursuing an independent policy, Azerbaijan steadily approached its glorious triumph, while the creation of a powerful army—alongside other contributing factors—made this brilliant achievement possible.

Throughout the 44 days of the Patriotic War, the valiant Armed Forces of Azerbaijan advanced relentlessly without taking a single step back. As a result, on the night of November 9 to 10, Armenia signed the Act of Capitulation. Thus, the entire world witnessed Azerbaijan restoring its territorial integrity through its own strength on the battlefield. In doing so, historical justice was achieved in full accordance with all norms and principles of international law.

Let us agree that the words spoken by the President took us back to those days that none of us will ever forget. Many of our servicemen lost their lives on that path. May Allah rest the souls of all our martyrs in peace! Yet, as President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly emphasised, their blood did not go unavenged. Undoubtedly, regardless of the season, the 8th of November will forever remain in our hearts and souls.

At this new historic stage, as the head of state noted, Karabakh and East Zangezur are being reborn, with the “Great Return” programme being implemented brilliantly. As President Aliyev eloquently concluded, over the five years since the remarkable Victory, we have lived with a sense of pride. “From now on, the Azerbaijani people will forever live as a heroic and victorious nation, and the Azerbaijani state – as a victorious state.”

In turn, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that on this day of pride, the happy feelings of the Azerbaijani people are shared by their brothers from the Organisation of Turkic States. Calling Ilham Aliyev the architect and leader of the Great Victory, the President of Türkiye described the liberation of Karabakh from occupation as a source of immense pride for the entire Turkic world. He stressed that on this significant day, November 8, “Azerbaijan’s soldiers stand shoulder to shoulder with their brothers – the servicemen of Türkiye.”

It was highly symbolic that Erdoğan so clearly highlighted the international significance of Azerbaijan’s Victory, noting that the Patriotic War had altered the geopolitical balance in both Asia and Europe. He went on to express hope that the new routes emerging in the Caucasus would enhance transportation and energy supply capabilities across the region.

As for certain nuances in Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif’s remarks, it is worth noting first that, in his congratulatory message to the President of Azerbaijan on 5 November, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the Victory in the Patriotic War, the Pakistani Prime Minister highly praised the “exceptional statesmanship, and visionary leadership” of Ilham Aliyev as a statesman in achieving the historic agreement with Armenia, which has paved the way for lasting peace and a new era of economic opportunities in the Caucasus region.

In the same spirit, he emphasised Pakistan’s commitment to “elevate our ties to a multifaceted and mutually rewarding strategic and economic partnership, for the shared benefit of our two brotherly peoples.”

In his address yesterday, the Prime Minister of Pakistan once again emphasised that throughout Azerbaijan’s struggle to liberate its lands, Islamabad “stood like a rock with its brotherly country, Azerbaijan, and will stand with our brothers and sisters in Azerbaijan for all time to come.” “My heart is filled with pride,” he declared, “because I see here the strong Azerbaijani people celebrating a magnificent event with great enthusiasm and patriotic passion.”

He went on to describe our country’s Victory as a great triumph of justice and a source of hope for all nations striving for sovereignty. Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif also praised the phenomenal pace of reconstruction in the territories liberated from occupation, calling it truly inspiring that families of former internally displaced persons are now returning to their native lands.

Undoubtedly, one cannot but recognise the immense potential of the unique brotherly alliance formed by Azerbaijan, Pakistan, and Türkiye — an alliance that can confidently be described as unity in action. At its core lies a special spirit of mutual understanding and trust, which was once again reaffirmed during yesterday’s trilateral meeting, where the leaders of Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and Pakistan noted that our countries and peoples have always stood side by side. In the same vein, they stressed that our cooperation in the political, economic, military, cultural, humanitarian, and other spheres will continue to develop in the years ahead.