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The Republic of Armenia and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan have never had formal diplomatic relations. Pakistan is the only country in the world that does not recognize Armenia as a sovereign state, although most Pakistani people are not aware of this fact. It has maintained this position due to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, despite the fact that Armenia and Azerbaijan have always recognized each other as sovereign states ever since they both gained independence during the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Pakistan, which recognized Azerbaijani sovereignty in 1991, has declared that recognition of Armenia will be contingent on the Armenians relinquishing their claim to Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as an end to the Armenian presence in that disputed territory. Likewise, Pakistan openly supported Azerbaijan during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War and the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War; it has strongly advocated full Azerbaijani control over Nagorno-Karabakh, which has historically had an Armenian-majority population, though it is internationally recognized as a part of Azerbaijan.
Amidst the 2023 Azerbaijani military offensive, over 100,000 Armenians were displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, triggering the collapse of the Armenia-backed Republic of Artsakh. The United Nations has stated from local reports that there are between 50 and 1000 Armenians remaining in the region. On 20 September 2023, one day after Azerbaijan's offensive began, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry released an official statement reaffirming Pakistan's "unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan" in Nagorno-Karabakh.
With the Republic of Artsakh no longer extant and the exodus of ethnic Armenians from the region, it is as of yet unclear what Pakistan's official position is on establishing diplomatic ties with the country.
History
Pakistan and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Main article: Nagorno-Karabakh conflictPakistan was the third country, after Turkey and Romania, to recognize Azerbaijan, and has close relations with it as it relates to conflicts in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Pakistan had supported Azerbaijan during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. In 2015, Pakistan declared that recognizing Armenia's independence is contingent on the latter leaving Karabakh. In 2020, Pakistan supported Azerbaijan in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war and hailed the subsequent ceasefire, which brought Azerbaijan territorial gains.
Armenia, Pakistan, and India
Main article: Armenia–India relationsAt the end of 2016, Armenian–Pakistani relations further deteriorated, and Armenia vetoed Pakistan's bid for observer status in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Parliamentary Assembly.
In 2019 after an interview with WION, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that Armenia supported India in the Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan.
See also
References
- "Nilufer Bakhtiyar: "For Azerbaijan Pakistan does not recognize Armenia as a country"". Today.az. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- Fahim, Muhammad (2020-08-15). "Pakistan and the Question of Recognizing Armenia: Pakistan-Armenia Relations, the Issue of Kashmir & Nagorno-Karabakh". Journal of South Asian Studies. 8 (2): 39–45. doi:10.33687/jsas.008.02.3276. ISSN 2307-4000.
- "UN Karabakh mission told 'sudden' exodus means as few as 50 ethnic Armenians may remain". United Nations. 2 October 2023. Archived from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- "UN team completes mission to Karabakh". United Nations in Azerbaijan. 2 October 2023. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
The mission saw very few local population remaining in the city. The team heard from interlocutors that between 50 and 1,000 ethnic Armenians remain in the Karabakh region.
- Latif, Aamir (21 September 2023). "Pakistan backs Azerbaijan as Baku asks Armenian troops to disarm in Karabakh". Anadolu Agency. Archived from the original on 26 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- Karimli, Ilham (1 November 2023). "Azerbaijan Commends Pakistan's Political Support During Conflict with Armenia". Caspian News. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- "Pakistan rules out diplomatic ties with Armenia until liberation of Azerbaijani lands". 29 March 2015.
- "Pakistan hails cessation of hostilities in Nagorno Karabagh region". The Nation. 11 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- "Pakistan-Armenia Friction Has Intensified – Jamestown". Jamestown.org. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- Kucera, Joshua (29 November 2016). "Armenia Nixes Pakistan's Ties With CSTO". Eurasianet.org. Retrieved 8 October 2017 – via EurasiaNet.
- "Opinion: «Armenia can block the cooperation between Pakistan and the EEU". Rusarminfo.ru. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- "We fully defend Indian position: Armenia PM Nikol Pashinyan on Jammu and Kashmir". WION. 26 September 2019. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
Further reading
- "Pakistan and the World (Chronology: April–June 2005)", in: Pakistan Horizon, Vol. 58 (2005), No. 3, pp. 121–169. JSTOR.
- Shannon O'Lear & Robert Whiting: "Which comes first, the nation or the state? A multiple scale model applied to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the Caucasus", in: National Identities, Vol. 10 (2008), No. 2, pp. 185–206. Taylor & Francis Online.
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