President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a trilateral meeting with Azerbaijani Counterpart Ilham Aliyev and Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Summit (SCO) in Astana on Wednesday.
During the closed-door trilateral meeting, the leaders discussed regional and global issues, as well as areas of cooperation between their countries.
In the meeting, Erdoğan said that there are many joint steps that Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan can take in various fields and that these would be beneficial for all three countries.
The Turkish leader noted that in a region beset by wars, conflicts, and tensions, cooperation initiatives would contribute to both regional and global peace.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, Finance and Treasury Minister Mehmet Şimşek, Trade Minister Ömer Bolat and chief presidential adviser Akif Çağatay Kılıç also attended the meeting.
Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Pakistan enjoy cooperation in different fields, including military and parliamentary initiatives. The three countries held joint military drills together. Türkiye and Pakistan stood in solidarity with Azerbaijan during its operation to liberate Karabakh from decades of Armenian occupation.
In July 2022, Turkish, Azerbaijani and Pakistani parliament speakers accepted the Baku Declaration in a ceremony held at the Azerbaijani Parliament.
The joint declaration emphasizes the need to strengthen cooperation among the three countries, based on cultural and historical ties, mutual respect and confidence. It also emphasizes Turkey, Azerbaijan and Pakistan's roles in building peace, stability and development in their regions.
Erdoğan also held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as both leaders pledged to boost strategic cooperation.
Aliyev also met with Putin on the sidelines of the summit. The two leaders highlighted favorable relations between Azerbaijan and Russia. For his part, Putin said he's ready to play a role in the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
