13:01     19 June 2023    

The Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian Shahbaz Sharif held a successful two-day visit to the Azerbaijani capital Baku and held a fruitful meeting with the President of Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev on June 15, 2023.

The diplomatic circles of both countries believe that the recent interaction of both leaders would leave a lasting impact on their already excellent bilateral relations and Baku categorically communicated that it stands with Islamabad in the difficult economic phase Pakistan is going through. We also know that Azerbaijan has already offered its energy resources (oil and gas) at very low prices to Pakistan so Islamabad can mitigate the energy crises it is facing. I will talk in detail about what Azerbaijan is offering to Pakistan economically but first I will share what lessons of life President Ilham Aliyev shared with our Prime Minister. When I went through the transcript of what he said during the presser of both leaders, I got very important points I must share with my readers. Standing along with Prime Minister Sharif, President Ilham Aliyev said that the situation in the world is changing, and instability areas are growing, therefore, strong military capacity is a guarantee for independence and territorial integrity. He was of the view that 30 years long negotiations with Armenia did not produce any result nor the international bodies could help Azerbaijan against the aggression of Armenia because international law works selectively and resolutions of the United Nations Security Council are not being implemented. He was of the view that the only guarantee to stand as a sovereign country and to protect the independence, territorial integrity, security, and well-being of our people is our economic, political, and military capability. His strong message of self-reliance, having a strong economy, and a responsive military should be taken by Pakistan as the key to success and a roadmap to come out of the crisis Pakistan had been facing for a long. Like a real brother President Ilham Aliyev announced immediate support for Pakistan and said that soon several delegations from Azerbaijan will visit Pakistan. One on trade and investment missions, another on issues related to energy cooperation, and the third will address the issues of cooperation in the defense industry. He simply said that Azerbaijan is ready to do whatever is needed to help Pakistan to bail out from the economic crisis and stated that Pakistan had always stood with Azerbaijan so the Baku would be. While appreciating Pakistan, President Ilham Aliyev said that the people of Azerbaijan know very well, who was with us during the times of 44 days of the war - it was Türkiye and Pakistan, which expressed strong political support to us. His such loud and clear statement is more than enough to understand the depth of Azerbaijan-Pakistan relations. He categorically mentioned that relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan are based on mutual history, culture, traditions, religion, solidarity, and mutual support and Pakistan is the country, which did not establish diplomatic relations with Armenia because of Armenian occupation and aggression against Azerbaijan. And this is the real position of brothers. We are very grateful for that. We remember that Azerbaijan always supports Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir and demonstrates solidarity with all international organizations. As the economic situation of Pakistan is not promising and the country is facing regional neighboring threats, high inflation, and energy crisis, and anti-Pakistan propaganda on top of that are enough to halt any functional state, however, time-tested friends like Azerbaijan and China are unanimously standing with Pakistan in this time of need. This tough time has also taught a lesson to us that we must follow in the footsteps of our friendly countries, especially in matters of self-reliance, border security, and sovereignty. No matter how much a country is being forced to reduce arm power, and how much it is being pushed to resolute bilateral issues with international forums, it is of no use if a country is economically dependent and lacks sufficient military might. The border dispute can be resolved through military enforcement and border security leads to sovereignty and a sovereign country can decide for itself, otherwise, we can see the textbook example of Ukraine, whose destiny is being decided miles away and without Ukrainian's consent. Azerbaijan has materialized its border security and achieved economic stability as a sovereign country just because they rely on itself. That leads to a critical point in reference to Pakistan, which is in the center of the regional geo-political stage and external and internal hostile forces are targeting only two things: Pakistan’s military and Economy. We Pakistanis are standing firm because we have friends like Azerbaijan, the friends who are giving us oxygen to survive in this tough time, not only do they realize our situation but also, they are reaffirming that Pakistan must not worry about the energy crisis and must not bow down to any irrational demands of cutting down the most crucial elements of our sovereignty. President of Azerbaijan reassured Pakistan that in the matter of border security and momentarily hurdles Pakistan is not alone that of course gives us all Pakistanis a much-needed hope that in order to just keep us functional we can avoid compromising arrangements. The vision of Aliyevism could be Pakistan’s road map too for a prosperous future, it can tell us that no matter how dark the moment is, persistent struggle can achieve unimaginable. The good times are the outcome of difficult decisions and if in difficult times one can have a loyal friend that of course can make the way less difficult. I as a Pakistani am grateful to President Ilham Aliyev and the Azerbaijani Azeri people for their support and understanding and also taught us a lesson that only self-reliance, a strong economy, and a responsive military can ensure sovereignty for every country. Note: Writer Shazia Anwer Cheema is an author, columnist, and foreign affairs expert who writes for national and international media. She has a master's degree from Aarhus University Denmark in Cognitive and Semiotics and is a doctoral student and researcher in Semiotics and Philosophy of Communication at Charles University in Prague. She can be reached at her: Twitter @ShaziaAnwerCh Email: [email protected]