DNA

ISLAMABAD: in a major diplomatic breakthrough, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday announced that Pakistan and Armenia have agreed to consider establishing diplomatic relations.

He announced the development following his telephonic conversation with Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan.

“Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan and I held a cordial conversation on phone today, and agreed to consider establishing diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Armenia,” Dar posted on X.Pakistan and Armenia have yet to establish formal diplomatic ties. Their relations shaped by regional geopolitical rivalry, with Islamabad consistently backing Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The development came weeks after Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a US-brokered peace agreement during a meeting with US President Donald Trump that analysts say would boost bilateral economic ties after decades of conflict.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at odds since the late 1980s when Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous Azerbaijani region mostly populated by ethnic Armenians, broke away from Azerbaijan with support from Armenia. Azerbaijan took back full control of the region in 2023, prompting almost all of the territory’s 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee to Armenia.

Reacting to the development, PM Shehbaz Sharif welcomed “the historic peace agreement” and said that it marked the dawn of a new era of peace, stability, and cooperation in the South Caucasus, a region that has endured decades of conflict and human suffering.”We congratulate President Ilham Aliyev and the people of Azerbaijan on this historic agreement, that reflects wisdom, foresight and sagacity in charting a course for a peaceful future for their region.

“Pakistan has always stood by the brotherly nation of Azerbaijan, and we stand with them at this proud moment of their history,” the PM said in a post on X.

The premier further appreciated the facilitation role of the US, under President Trump, in bringing the two sides together and securing an agreement that opens new avenues for trade, connectivity, and regional integration.