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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that developments in the region reveal the importance of solidarity between Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan at the second Türkiye-Azerbaijan-Pakistan Trilateral Summit held in Lachin, Azerbaijan.
Erdogan spoke at the trilateral summit held in Azerbaijan's Lachin city on the occasion of Azerbaijan's Independence Day, together with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Noting that they were together at the second meeting of the Türkiye-Azerbaijan-Pakistan trilateral summit, the first of which was held in Astana last year, Erdogan thanked Azerbaijan President Aliyev for his sincere hospitality and congratulated Azerbaijan's Independence Day.
Commemorating the ones who lost their lives defending Azerbaijan's independence at the cost of their lives, Erdogan stated, "We are three brother countries based on mutual love, respect and trust, nourished by the same civilization climate, and sharing common ideals. We are strengthening the bond between our countries, which have a population of approximately 350 million and an economic size of $1.5 trillion."
Emphasizing that they are behind every step towards transforming their unity into a strategic partnership, Erdogan stated, "Developments in our region reveal the importance of solidarity between our countries day by day. With the liberation of Azerbaijani territories that were under occupation for 30 years, we now desire the region to become the focus of stability, prosperity and development."
"I believe that Lachin Airport, which we opened this morning, will make an important contribution to the development and integration with the world that the region has longed for for many years," he added.
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President Erdogan recalled hosting Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif in Istanbul on Sunday, May 25, and made the following evaluations: "In our meeting, we reviewed the cooperation processes within the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council."
"We agreed to further strengthen the deep historical and human relations between Türkiye and Pakistan. On this occasion, I would like to express our satisfaction that the tension that erupted between Pakistan and India resulted in a cease-fire."
"I once again congratulate my brother Shahbaz and Pakistani authorities for their calm and prudent attitude throughout the process. Our wish is for the declared ceasefire to evolve into permanent peace. Türkiye is ready to make any contribution it can on this path," he added.
Drawing attention to the fact that Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan are positioned in an extremely strategic region at the intersection of Eurasia, Erdogan said, "In our geographies and beyond, we are experiencing many challenges simultaneously, from security threats to economic bottlenecks, from energy and food crises. In the face of these difficulties, we see the development of our solidarity and joint action capacity not as a choice, but as a necessity."
Erdogan emphasized that important issues were discussed at today's summit to further advance cooperation between the three countries, stating, "Our foreign ministers will carry out the necessary work for the institutionalization of our trilateral cooperation in the coming period. They will prepare a strong framework reflecting the common vision of our countries, especially on topics such as trade, investments, transportation, energy, the defense industry, and the fight against terrorism that shape our common agenda."
President Erdogan announced that regular trilateral summits and ministerial-level meetings will be organized with the participation of Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan, and through this, the cooperation to be carried out will be institutionalized.
Stating that cooperation in the defense field will be deepened and joint determination against terrorism and transnational threats will be continued, Erdogan said, "We will aim to take joint steps in facilitating trade, promoting investments, and digital transformation. Regarding transportation, which constitutes an extremely strategic dimension of our cooperation, we will jointly contribute to projects such as the Development Road, Middle Corridor, and North-South Transportation Corridor."
"We will work on projects that will increase the mutual interaction of our youth and academics, especially in the fields of culture and education. We will jointly evaluate opportunities in energy security, food supply security, and renewable energy fields. Allah willing, by implementing prestigious projects in all these areas, we will take our trilateral cooperation to many further points and bring new works to our peoples," he concluded.
Emphasizing that they are witnessing the international system being increasingly dragged into a legitimacy crisis at a time when polarization is deepening and bloc formation is increasing.
Erdogan continued, "The clear example of the crisis the international system is in at this point is Israel's relentless atrocities in Palestine and its expansionist policies in the face of these atrocities. We are determined to continue defending the rights of innocent children and people who are being massacred in Gaza before our eyes."
"I want to emphasize once again that we will stand against all attempts to disturb the peace of our region. Our geography is fed up with blood and tears. From here, we call on the whole world to increase pressure on the Israeli administration for the establishment of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the delivery of uninterrupted and urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza," he stated.
At the end of his speech, Erdogan conveyed his thanks to Azerbaijan President Aliyev and the Azerbaijan people for their sincere hospitality, saying, "May Allah open our path and our fortune. May Allah make our brotherhood eternal and our unity lasting."
The trilateral summit conducted by President Erdogan with Azerbaijan President Aliyev and Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif also included Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, and National Defense Minister Yasar Guler, among others.
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