Tural Asadov (Baku)
BAKU, Azerbaijan: The Political Observer and the Founder & Director of “The Greater Middle East”, Ali Hajizade, has remarked that since Azerbaijan restored its independence, unique relations have been formed between Azerbaijan and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
In an interview, Ali Hajizade was of the view that Azerbaijan-Pakistan political and military relations have been built on the highest level.
“The purchase of Pakistani military aircraft by the Azerbaijani air forces became the latest significant spiral in the mutual military cooperation. In 2018, more and more Pakistani tourists were coming to Azerbaijan. This is an indicator that tourist relations are also being established along with the military and political relations. In general, we can say that Azerbaijani-Pakistani relations are guided by the principles of mutual support and understanding,” he said.
Ali Hajizade also touched the Jammu and Kashmir conflict, and talked about Azerbaijan’s position in this case.
“Azerbaijani diplomacy has consistently supported Pakistan’s position on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and welcomes Pakistan’s peace initiatives to resolve this conflict. We see with concern tension in the line of contact in Jammu and Kashmir. The reports of human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch about discrimination of Muslim population in India and, particularly, in Kashmir are another matter of concern,” Ali Hajizade remarked.
“Torture and extrajudicial killings by security forces have become the region’s daily reality,” he emphasized.
Like the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Kashmir conflict emerged right after Pakistan and India gained independence. In the case of Karabakh, Armenian armed groups with strong support from the Armenian diaspora and protectors from Russia could seized about 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory. The occupation was accompanied by mass murders and ethnic cleansing, and now this territory is under the control of Armenia.
Ali Hajizade believes that “Both conflicts have similar aspects, and it apparently acts as an integrating factor for the two countries”.
