Azerbaijan

France beat Azerbaijan 3-0 on Friday to edge closer to qualifying for FIFA 2026 World Cup, but Kylian Mbappe injured.

Kylian Mbappe will miss Monday’s qualifier in Iceland, where France could book their ticket to the 2026 World Cup, after taking another knock to his sore right ankle, the French team confirmed.

Already suffering from a “small niggle” in his right ankle from playing for Real Madrid, Mbappe took two knocks during Friday’s 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Azerbaijan in Paris, where he opened the scoring but was substituted before the end of the match.

The France captain’s absence adds to the long list of forwards unavailable for October’s World Cup qualifiers, which includes Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Marcus Thuram and Bradley Barcola.

Mbappe “will not be able to play Monday against Iceland”, a French Football Federation (FFF) statement read.

After returning to the Clairefontaine training ground on Friday night, “the French team captain spoke with (coach) Didier Deschamps,” who “acknowledged his absence”.

Mbappe “has been released to his club (Real Madrid) and will not be replaced”, the FFF added.

The French superstar had already been rested for training with Les Bleus during the week with the same issue.

Mbappe scored on the stroke of half-time and was then struck by a tackle from Rustam Ahmedzade. He took another knock to the same ankle late in the game and was replaced by Florian Thauvin.

“He has a sore ankle and he took a knock there. He preferred to come off; the pain was quite significant,” Deschamps said after the French victory.

Adrien Rabiot and the substitute Thauvin were also on the scoresheet as Deschamps’s men remain unbeaten after three games and top of Group D.

Les Bleus will book their passage to the United States, Canada and Mexico next year if they win in Iceland on Monday and Ukraine fail to beat Azerbaijan.

Leclerc’s crash made it another dire day for Ferrari after Hamilton failed to make the top-10 shootout.

The session ran for two hours and the six red-flag stoppages broke a record that had previously been tied by the 2022 Emilia-Romagna and 2024 Sao Paulo Grands Prix.

The first person to crash was Williams’ Alex Albon, who hit the inside apex at Turn One, causing the first of three red-flag stoppages in the first session.

Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg caused the second, by crashing at Turn Four, and the session ended a few seconds early after both Alpine drivers made mistakes at the same corner after the restart.

Pierre Gasly first sped up the escape road, before his team-mate Franco Colapinto misjudged his entry into the same corner, despite waved yellow flags, and crashed on the exit.

Haas driver Oliver Bearman then brought out the next red flag when he oversteered into the wall on the exit of Turn Two early in the second session. The session then ran to the end without incident, although Piastri hit the wall on the exit of Turn 15 but was able to carry on with his lap.

The excitement was increased during the stoppages in the final session because light rain was starting to fall, which may have influenced the crashes of Leclerc and Piastri.

Leclerc, who had been on pole in Baku for the past four years, went straight on into the tyre barrier at Turn 15, before Piastri did the same thing at Turn Three on the restart.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says in Yerevan that ‘governance in the Caucasus region must remain Caucasian’.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that a planned corridor linking Azerbaijan with its exclave would be under Armenian control, days after Iran said it would block the project included in a United States-brokered peace accord that puts a potential Washington presence on its doorstep.

“Roads passing through Armenia will be under the exclusive jurisdiction of Armenia, and security will be provided by Armenia, not by any third country,” Pashinyan said at a meeting with Pezeshkian in the Armenian capital Yerevan on Tuesday. He added that the corridor would open new economic perspectives between the two countries, and could offer a rail route from Iran to the Black Sea coast through Armenia.

The land corridor, dubbed the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP), is part of a deal signed this month in Washington between former foes Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Under the agreement, the US will hold development rights for the proposed route, which would connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave bordering Iran and Turkey.

“Governance in the Caucasus region must remain Caucasian – outsourcing the resolution of Caucasus issues to extra-regional forces will complicate it,” Pezeshkian said during his visit on Tuesday. “Iran’s position has always been to reject any changes to international borders in the Caucasus region.”

Iran has long opposed the planned transit route, also known as the Zangezur corridor, fearing it would cut the country off from Armenia and the rest of the Caucasus while bringing potentially hostile foreign forces close to its borders.

Since the deal was signed on August 8, Iranian officials have stepped up warnings to Armenia, saying the project could be part of a US ploy “to pursue hegemonic goals in the Caucasus region”.

The proposed corridor has been hailed as beneficial by other countries in the region, including Russia, with which Iran has a strategic alliance alongside Armenia.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought a series of wars since the late 1980s when Nagorno-Karabakh, a region in Azerbaijan that had a mostly ethnic Armenian population at the time, broke away from Azerbaijan with support from Armenia. Azerbaijan Baku took control of the territory in a military operation in 2023, leading to an exodus of the ethnic Armenian population.

Armenia last year agreed to return several villages to Azerbaijan in what Baku described as a “long-awaited historic event”.

Iran rejects ‘Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity’ (TRIPP), says the presence of American companies in the region would be ‘worrying’.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is visiting Armenia for talks on a planned corridor linking Azerbaijan near the border with his country, days after Iran said it would block the project included in a United States-brokered peace accord that puts a potential Washington presence on Iran’s doorstep.

The land corridor, dubbed the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP), is part of a deal signed earlier this month in Washington between former foes Armenia and Azerbaijan.

US President Donald Trump said the deal granted the US exclusive developmental rights to the transport corridor. Washington was also signing bilateral agreements with both countries to increase cooperation in areas like energy, trade and technology, including artificial intelligence.

Before departing for the Armenian capital Yerevan on Monday, Pezeshkian described the possible presence of American companies in the region as “worrying.”

“We will discuss it [with Armenian officials] and express our concerns,” he told state television.

The proposed route would connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave, passing near the Iranian border. Tehran has long opposed the planned transit route, also known as the Zangezur corridor, fearing it would cut the country off from Armenia and the rest of the Caucasus while bringing potentially hostile foreign forces close to its borders.

Since the deal was signed on August 8, Iranian officials have stepped up warnings to Armenia, saying the project could be part of a US ploy “to pursue hegemonic goals in the Caucasus region”.

On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described it as a “sensitive” issue, saying Tehran’s main concern is that it could “lead to geopolitical changes in the region”.

“They [Armenian officials] have assured us that no American forces … or American security companies will be present in Armenia under the pretext of this route,” he told the official IRNA news agency.

The proposed corridor has been hailed as beneficial by other countries in the region including Russia, with which Iran has a strategic alliance alongside Armenia.

Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said Tehran would block the initiative “with or without Russia”.

Trump “thinks the Caucasus is a piece of real estate he can lease for 99 years”, Velayati told state-affiliated Tasnim News soon after the deal was signed, adding that the area would become “a graveyard for Trump’s mercenaries”.

Moscow cautiously welcomed the deal, saying that it supported efforts to promote stability and prosperity in the region. Similarly to Iran, however, it warned against outside intervention, arguing that lasting solutions should be developed by countries in the region.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought a series of wars since the late 1980s when Nagorno-Karabakh, a region in Azerbaijan that had a mostly ethnic Armenian population at the time, broke away from Azerbaijan with support from Armenia. Azerbaijan Baku took control of the territory in a military operation in 2023, leading to an exodus of the ethnic Armenian population.

Armenia last year agreed to return several villages to Azerbaijan in what Baku described as a “long-awaited historic event”.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, his late father and predecessor Heydar Aliyev and some of their closest political allies hail from Nakhchivan.

The name of this tiny, mountainous and underdeveloped Azeri area sandwiched between Armenia, Iran and Turkiye sounds unfamiliar to those outside the strategic South Caucasus region.

But Nakhchivan’s name and geopolitical significance resurfaced after United States President Donald Trump hosted a White House summit between Azeri and Armenian leaders on Friday.

Azerbaijan’s Aliyev and the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a preliminary peace deal to end the decades-long conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

In the early 1990s, ethnic Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region broke away from oil-rich Azerbaijan after a war that killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands.

Moscow brokered a truce in 1994, maintaining two military bases in resource-poor Armenia, supplying it with cheap energy while selling arms to Azerbaijan.

Even though the conflict did not involve Nakhchivan, it cut off the Zangezur Corridor, a 40km (25-mile) logistical umbilical cord to Azeri mainland that consists of a derelict road and parallel rusty rail tracks.

Air travel and hours-long, bumpy transit through Iran remained the only way to reach the exclave, whose authorities ruled it like a personal fiefdom, with laws and ways of life often contradicting those of the mainland.

After winning the 2020 war over Nagorno-Karabakh and restoring control over it three years later, Baku has been eager to revive the corridor, demanding its exterritoriality and even pondering the use of military force.

‘A new reality in the region’

The reasons go far beyond restoring access to Aliyev’s ancestral land. The corridor could become a mammoth transport hub between Turkiye, Azerbaijan and Central Asia.

It may increase the flow of Central Asian hydrocarbons to Turkiye and further to Europe, boost the regional economy – and upend Russia’s two centuries of domination in the region that also includes Georgia.

Armenia was reluctant to allow Azeri access to the corridor, fearing that the emboldened Turkish-Azeri tandem may jeopardise its security.

But Trump cut through the Gordian knot on Friday, and his role “essentially, cements a new reality in the region”, according to Emil Mustafayev, the Baku-based chief editor of the Minval Politika online magazine.

“This is a serious shift in the security architecture and transport logistics of the South Caucasus,” he told Al Jazeera.

While in the White House, Aliyev and Pashinyan lavished Trump with praise and nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize.

“What cracked me up is that [they] didn’t lose their way about how one has to communicate in Washington,” Andrey Kazantsev, an expert on the region, told Al Jazeera.

They also flattered Trump by naming the corridor the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) and leasing it to Washington for up to 99 years with exclusive development rights.

What looks like one of Trump’s favourite real estate deals actually heralds a tectonic shift.

“Trump’s administration has indeed been quick to find its way towards the long-due geopolitical pivot,” Kazantsev said.

China, which has been promoting its Belt and Road Initiative in Asia and Eastern Europe, may remain “neutral” to it, and Russia, which has two military bases in Armenia, may “ignore it, at least, publicly”, he said. “But for Iran, it’s a real blow.”

‘A boost of Washington’s clout’

To guard the TRIPP, Washington may use a private military company – and eventually build a military base that nominally safeguards Armenia but actually keeps an eye on Iran, said Ukrainian political analyst Aleksey Kushch.

“It means more potential pressure on Iran and a boost of Washington’s clout in the resource-rich Caspian region where US oil companies made sizeable investments” in the 1990s, he said.

And Moscow is also about to lose a lot.

“No matter how paradoxical it sounds, it’s Moscow that has been and still is a decisive factor in the peace settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan and in solving the latter’s problem of accessing Nakhchivan,” said Alisher Ilkhamov, head of Central Asia Due Diligence, a think tank in London.

“One of the main motives for rapprochement of both sides is their push to get rid of Moscow’s influence, of the peacekeeper’s role it has imposed on them,” he told Al Jazeera.

The new deal “only highlights how fictitious Moscow’s role as peacekeeper and middleman in peace settlement in the South Caucasus is”, Ilkhamov said.

However, the deal is not yet set in stone, and the Trump-hosted summit “sparked premature optimism”, said Kevork Oskanian of the University of Exeter, in the United Kingdom.

This optimism “should be tempered by realism and historical precedent [as] many peace processes have failed despite promising starts”, he told Al Jazeera.

A deal not yet done

Baku, whose annual $5bn defence spending exceeds Yerevan’s entire debt-hobbled state budget, affirmed Armenia’s territorial integrity but did not withdraw from some 200sq km (77sq miles) of its land.

The TRIPP’s concept avoids Baku’s demand for the corridor’s extraterritoriality, balancing sovereignty with strategic access, Oskanian said.

But there are also questions as to whether Washington’s initiatives are “a principled intervention or opportunistic geopolitics”, he added.

Even without direct confrontation, Moscow and Tehran could try to undermine the deal.

“Their grudging acquiescence is essential – but far from guaranteed,” Oskanian said.

Iran threatened on Saturday that the TRIPP “will not become a gateway for Trump’s mercenaries – it will become their graveyard”.

Armenia is a democracy “polarised” over the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh and Pashinyan’s conflict with the Armenian Apostolic Church, Oskanian said.

To finalise the peace deal, Pashinyan would need to hold a referendum amending Armenia’s constitution that mentions the “reunification” with Nagorno-Karabakh – and win the 2026 parliamentary vote.

Therefore, the success of Trump’s deal depends on many intricacies of South Caucasus politics – and the West “must engage with nuance – not just geopolitics”, Oskanian concluded.

There is a peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia, after nearly four decades of conflict.

The final stage was brokered by US President Donald Trump in the White House.

Crucial to the deal is a corridor to connect the main part of Azerbaijan with another part of its territory, which is cut off because it is on the other side of Armenia.

But how long will it take before the corridor becomes a reality?

And what will Washington’s growing presence in the South Caucasus mean for the region?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:

Vasif Huseynov – Head of department at the Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center)

Jamila Mammadova – Research assistant at the Henry Jackson Society

Vahram Ter-Matevosyan – Political analyst

Iran has said it will block a corridor planned in the Caucasus under a United States-brokered peace accord between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which has been hailed by other countries in the region as beneficial for achieving lasting peace.

Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said on Saturday that Tehran would block the initiative “with or without Russia”, with which Iran has a strategic alliance alongside Armenia.

US President Donald Trump “thinks the Caucasus is a piece of real estate he can lease for 99 years”, Velayati told state-affiliated Tasnim News, referring to the transport corridor included in the peace deal.

“This passage will not become a gateway for Trump’s mercenaries — it will become their graveyard,” he added, describing the plan as “political treachery” aimed at undermining Armenia’s territorial integrity.

The terms of the accord, which was unveiled at a signing ceremony at the White House on Friday, include exclusive US development rights to a route through Armenia that would link Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan, an Azerbaijani enclave that borders Baku’s ally Turkiye.

The corridor, which would pass close to the border with Iran, would be named the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, or TRIPP, and operate under Armenian law.

Velayati argued that it would open the way for NATO to position itself “like a viper” between Iran and Russia.

Separately, Iran’s foreign ministry issued a statement expressing concern about the negative consequences of any foreign intervention in the vicinity of its borders.

While it welcomed the peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the ministry said any project near Iran’s borders should be developed “with respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and without foreign interference”.

For its part, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs cautiously welcomed the deal, saying on Saturday that Moscow supported efforts to promote stability and prosperity in the region, including the Washington meeting.

Similarly to Iran, however, it warned against outside intervention, arguing that lasting solutions should be developed by countries in the region.

“The involvement of non-regional players should strengthen the peace agenda, not create new divisions,” the ministry said, adding that it hoped to avoid the “unfortunate experience” of Western-led conflict resolution in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Turkiye on Saturday said it hoped the planned transit corridor would boost exports of energy and other resources through the South Caucasus.

A NATO member, Turkiye has strongly backed Azerbaijan in its conflicts with Armenia, but has pledged to restore ties with Yerevan after it signs a final peace deal with Baku.

The Turkish presidency said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the peace agreement with Ilham Aliyev, his counterpart from Azerbaijan, and offered Ankara’s support in achieving lasting peace in the region.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also addressed the planned corridor during a visit to Egypt, saying it could “link Europe with the depths of Asia via Turkiye” and would be “a very beneficial development”.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought a series of wars since the late 1980s when Nagorno-Karabakh, a region in Azerbaijan that had a mostly ethnic Armenian population at the time, broke away from Azerbaijan with support from Armenia.

Armenia last year agreed to return several villages to Azerbaijan in what Baku described as a “long-awaited historic event”.

Ahmad Shahidov, of the Azerbaijan Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, told Al Jazeera that he expected a final peace declaration between Armenia and Azerbaijan to be signed in the coming weeks.

Shahidov said Friday’s US-brokered deal constituted a “roadmap” for the final agreement, which appears imminent given there are no unresolved territorial disputes between the two neighbours.

US president says the deal will bring peace and new economic opportunities for the two rivals, but issues remain.

United States President Donald Trump has hosted his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the White House for the signing of a peace treaty between the two longtime rivals.

The US president said during a ceremony on Friday that he believed the two men would have a “great relationship” and that the agreement would bring peace and new economic opportunities to the region.

“I want to congratulate these two great people, Prime Minister Pashinyan and President Aliyev, for coming to Washington to sign this momentous joint declaration,” Trump said.

“The countries of Armenia and Azerbaijan are committing to stop all fighting forever; open up commerce, travel and diplomatic relations; and respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Aliyev echoed Trump’s statements, saying that the deal marked the start of a “long-lasting peace, eternal peace in the Caucasus”.

“ There should be no doubts and no suspicions that any of the sides would step back. If any of us — Prime Minister Pashinyan or myself — had in mind to step back, we wouldn’t have come here,” Aliyev said.

The agreement will create a transportation corridor between the two countries, which have been embroiled in territorial disputes since the disintegration of the Soviet Union more than three decades ago.

Those wars were largely fought over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is within Azerbaijan’s borders but was previously populated by ethnic Armenians.

They were ultimately expelled en masse during an Azerbaijani offensive in 2023.

The deal grants the US exclusive developmental rights to the transport corridor, which will be dubbed the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity”.

“We anticipate significant infrastructure development by American companies. They’re very anxious to go into these two countries,” Trump said.

He added that the US was also signing bilateral agreements with both countries to increase cooperation in areas like energy, trade and technology, including artificial intelligence.

The deals would also lift previous restrictions on security coordination with Azerbaijan, which has faced scrutiny over its human rights record.

“I’m very grateful to the president that he lifted the restrictions that had been imposed on Azerbaijan back in 1992,” said Aliyev.

While Trump has hailed the agreement as a diplomatic breakthrough and an opportunity for economic engagement, it is viewed with bitterness by many Armenians.

During Azerbaijan’s 2023 military campaign, the country sought to bring Nagorno-Karabakh under its control.

But that military offensive involved a brutal siege that rights groups say amounted to the restriction of food as a weapon of war. The conflict culminated in the forcible expulsion of the territory’s ethnic Armenian population.

Images of displaced Armenians fleeing with their possessions recalled painful memories of what many consider the “Armenian Genocide”, which took place from 1915 to 1923.

Azerbaijan maintains that the campaign was necessary to restore order in a territory within its borders and that Armenians could have stayed in their homes.

“Erasing Nagorno-Karabakh is not peace,” Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America, said in a statement on Thursday, saying the agreement had been reached “at gunpoint”.

“Normalising ethnic cleansing is not peace.”

Armenia and Azerbaijan’s leaders met in the UAE last month, but no breakthrough in their decades-long conflict was reached.

United States President Donald Trump will host the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan for peace talks at the White House, a US official said.

The official told the Reuters news agency on Tuesday that there is a possibility a framework for a peace agreement could be announced at Friday’s meeting in Washington, DC.

The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan met in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, for peace talks last month, but no breakthrough in the decades-old conflict was announced.

The two South Caucasus countries have been in conflict with each other since the late 1980s, when Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan with support from Armenia.

The region, which was claimed by both Azerbaijan and Armenia after the fall of the Russian Empire in 1917, had a mostly ethnic Armenian population at the time.

Azerbaijan recaptured Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023, prompting almost all of the territory’s 100,000 Armenians to flee to Armenia.

Armenia has accused Azerbaijan of “erasing all traces” of the presence of ethnic Armenians in the contested territory, in a case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The case stems from the 2020 war over Nagorno-Karabakh, which left more than 6,600 people dead, one of three full-scale wars that the two countries have fought over the region.

The United Nations’s top court has ordered Azerbaijan to allow ethnic Armenians who fled Nagorno-Karabakh to return. Azerbaijan says it is committed to ensuring all residents’ safety and security, regardless of national or ethnic origin, and that it has not forced ethnic Armenians, who are mostly Christian, to leave the Karabakh region.

Azerbaijan, whose inhabitants are mostly Muslim, links its historical identity to the territory, too, and has accused the Armenians of driving out Azeris who lived near the region in the 1990s.

The meeting in Abu Dhabi last month between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev came after the two countries finalised a draft peace deal in March.

The two leaders “agreed to continue bilateral negotiations and confidence-building measures between the two countries”, but no more concrete steps were outlined in the final statement from the talks.

Ceasefire violations along the heavily militarised 1,000km (620-mile) shared Armenia-Azerbaijan border surged soon after the draft deal was announced in March, but later diminished.

Azerbaijan’s Arguj Kalantarli notes ‘humanitarian catastrophe on unimaginable scale’ in Gaza, in member state Palestine.

The Secretary-General of the International Civil Defence Organization (ICDO) has been elected at a session held in Baku, according to the Azerbaijan Press Agency (APA)

The head of the international relations department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Colonel Arguj Kalantarli, was unanimously elected to the post.

Kalantarli delivered a speech, highlighting the “humanitarian catastrophe on an unimaginable scale” in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, noting Palestine is a member state of the ICDO.

“Food, water, medicine, shelter, these are no longer just basic rights, ” he said. Palestinians’ “loved ones are slipping through our fingers”, he added.

Another short excerpt from my speech at the 3rd Extraordinary Session of the ICDO General Assembly in Baku, Azerbaijan (July 10, 2025), including remarks on the humanitarian crisis in Palestine and Gaza. pic.twitter.com/YWiZQ6V1hT

— Arguj Kalantarli (@ArgujKalantarli) July 11, 2025

The ICDO is an intergovernmental organisation which contributes to the development of systems by countries to help protect populations, property and the environment from natural or man-made disasters and conflicts.

Candidates from four member states of the organisation – Azerbaijan, Serbia, Burkina Faso, and Tunisia – were in the running for the position.

Draft deal to end bitter decades-long conflict agreed 4 months ago, but timeline for sealing it remains uncertain.

The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks in the United Arab Emirates after nearly four decades of conflict.

The meeting in Abu Dhabi on Thursday between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, confirmed by both their governments, comes after the two countries finalised a draft peace deal in March.

The South Caucasus countries have fought a series of wars since the late 1980s when Nagorno-Karabakh, a region in Azerbaijan that had a mostly ethnic-Armenian population at the time, broke away from Azerbaijan with support from Armenia.

Peace talks began after Azerbaijan recaptured Karabakh in a lightning offensive in September 2023, prompting a huge exodus of almost all of the territory’s 100,000 Armenians, who fled to Armenia.

But the timeline for sealing a deal remains uncertain.

Ceasefire violations along the heavily militarised 1,000km (620-mile) shared border surged soon after the draft deal was announced, though there have been no reported violations recently.

In a potential stumbling block to a deal, Azerbaijan has said it wants Armenia to change its constitution, which it says makes implicit claims to Azerbaijani territory.

Yerevan denies this, but Pashinyan has repeatedly stressed in recent months – most recently this week – that the South Caucasus country’s founding charter needs to be updated.

Azerbaijan also asked for a transport corridor through Armenia, linking the bulk of its territory to Nakhchivan, an Azerbaijani enclave that borders Baku’s ally, Turkiye.

Pashinyan and Aliyev’s last encounter was in May, on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Tirana, Albania.

In June, Pashinyan made a rare visit to Istanbul to hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a meeting Armenia described as a “historic” step towards regional peace.

This week, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope for a swift peace deal between the Caucasus neighbours.

The outbreak of hostilities between the two countries in the late 1980s prompted mass expulsions of hundreds of thousands of mostly Muslim Azeris from Armenia, and Armenians, who are majority Christian, from Azerbaijan.

In the wake of the recent India-Pakistan confrontation, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s timely diplomatic mission to four friendly nations—Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan—has emerged as a significant step towards reinforcing Pakistan’s regional partnerships and showcasing its commitment to peace, cooperation, and brotherhood in a tense geopolitical climate. This carefully planned visit not only strengthened Pakistan’s ties with these brotherly nations but also sent a clear message to the world: Pakistan is not alone. It is backed by sincere, strategic, and spiritual allies who value peace, justice, and shared destiny over narrow national interests or short-term economic gains.

Each stop on this visit carried great symbolic and strategic significance. It reinforced bilateral trust, enhanced political understanding, and laid the groundwork for deeper cooperation in trade, defense, energy, culture, and regional integration. At the same time, it highlighted Pakistan’s diplomatic maturity and moral high ground in contrast to India’s aggressive and isolating approach.

Turkey: Brothers in Arms and Spirit

The first leg of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s journey began in Ankara. The bond between Pakistan and Turkey is not transactional—it is historical, emotional, and spiritual. During the India-Pakistan crisis, Turkey extended its full and unwavering support to Pakistan. This support was not just political—it was moral, diplomatic, and deeply rooted in a shared sense of justice and historical brotherhood.

Turkey’s role in standing by Pakistan during the confrontation with India was instrumental in boosting Pakistan’s position internationally and deterring further Indian aggression. The people of Turkey, as always, remembered the sacrifices of Muslims in the subcontinent during the Khilafat Movement, and once again, Turkish hearts beat in unison with their Pakistani brothers.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s firm statements and diplomatic engagement during the crisis showed the world that Pakistan is not isolated. During the visit, both leaders reaffirmed their mutual commitment to strengthen cooperation in defense, trade, and strategic coordination. They emphasized joint efforts to combat Islamophobia, promote regional stability, and work for greater unity within the Muslim world.

Key Takeaway: Turkey’s support during the confrontation and the outcome of this visit reaffirmed the deep, unshakable brotherhood between the two nations. New trade and defense initiatives were discussed, and Turkey’s continued role in regional diplomacy was applauded.

Iran: A Neighbor’s Role in Pursuit of Peace

The second stop was Tehran, where Prime Minister Sharif met Iranian leadership in a warm and constructive environment. As neighboring Muslim countries, Pakistan and Iran share a border, a cultural affinity, and a common vision for regional peace. They also share a history of facing similar geopolitical pressures, especially from the Western world.

When India escalated tensions with Pakistan, Iran quickly offered to mediate—a noble and thoughtful gesture that Pakistan welcomed. Tehran’s effort to prevent further bloodshed reflected Iran’s maturity as a responsible regional actor. Unfortunately, India rejected the offer and chose to pursue aggression instead, leading to a dangerous escalation.

Despite India’s hostility, Iran stood firm in advocating peace and dialogue. Prime Minister Sharif’s meeting with Iranian leaders focused on enhancing border security, trade connectivity, and energy cooperation. Discussions also covered regional developments and the role both nations can play in promoting stability in Afghanistan and the broader Middle East.

Key Takeaway: Iran’s sincere efforts for peace were appreciated by Pakistan. The visit reinforced bilateral ties in trade, border management, and energy cooperation, and set a tone for greater regional coordination in times of crisis.

Azerbaijan: Strategic Ally, Loyal Friend

The third destination was Baku, where a deeply significant and emotional welcome awaited the Pakistani delegation. Azerbaijan and Pakistan share an extraordinary relationship grounded in shared religion, culture, and history. Both nations have stood shoulder to shoulder on every major issue—be it the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict or the Kashmir dispute.

Azerbaijan vocally supported Pakistan during the confrontation with India, dismissing diplomatic pressure and economic blackmail. The visit highlighted the two countries’ strategic convergence, and both leaders committed to expanding ties in defense, energy, and connectivity.

The highlight of this leg of the tour was the trilateral summit between Pakistan, Turkey, and Azerbaijan. This landmark meeting was a symbol of Islamic unity and mutual support. The three nations discussed deeper integration in areas such as trade, technology, security, and cultural exchange. It was a bold display of a united front of Muslim nations determined to support each other and promote peace and justice globally.

Key Takeaway: Azerbaijan’s rock-solid support for Pakistan and the trilateral summit marked a new era of cooperation. It emphasized the rise of new regional alliances based on trust, respect, and shared values.

Tajikistan: Heart of Central Asia, Partner in Progress

The final stop was Dushanbe, where Prime Minister Sharif met with Tajikistan’s leadership. The visit reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to deepening ties with Central Asian states, particularly with Tajikistan—a country linked to Pakistan by geography, religion, language, and shared challenges.

Pakistan and Tajikistan have long enjoyed warm relations, but the visit added renewed momentum to bilateral cooperation. Both leaders discussed expanding trade routes, especially through Gwadar and Central Asia, improving energy connectivity, and strengthening cultural and educational exchanges.

Tajikistan’s support for regional peace and dialogue aligned closely with Pakistan’s vision. The two countries also explored opportunities in hydropower, climate resilience, and people-to-people contact.

Key Takeaway: The visit to Tajikistan strengthened Pakistan’s vision of regional connectivity. It highlighted the strategic importance of Central Asia and reaffirmed that Pakistan is a gateway for the region’s economic growth and stability.

India’s Punitive Response: A Miscalculation?

India’s reaction to the support extended by Turkey and Azerbaijan to Pakistan was sadly predictable. New Delhi announced punitive measures targeting both nations in trade, tourism, and diplomatic relations. This was an attempt to coerce them into silence and dissuade others from supporting Pakistan.

However, this strategy has already shown signs of failure. Turkey and Azerbaijan, guided by principles, did not succumb to pressure. They chose friendship, morality, and shared destiny over economic convenience. Their leaders made it clear: they stand with Pakistan because it is right, not because it is easy.

This tactic is not new for India. It previously attempted to punish the Maldives for not aligning with its foreign policy goals. It urged Indian tourists and businesses to boycott the island nation. Yet, the Maldivian economy remained stable and even grew stronger with support from new partners. The world is watching and learning that using economic pressure to silence moral voices rarely works.

Will India harm Turkey and Azerbaijan? It may try—but it is unlikely to succeed. Both nations have resilient economies, strong alternative partnerships, and, above all, moral clarity. Their alignment with Pakistan is a principled stance, not a temporary convenience. Their message is clear: friendship cannot be bought or bullied.

A Vision for the Future

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s visit came at a critical moment in the region’s history. The India-Pakistan confrontation risked igniting a broader crisis. But Pakistan chose dialogue, solidarity, and diplomacy. By visiting these four friendly nations, the Prime Minister demonstrated Pakistan’s peaceful intent and diplomatic strength.

Short-term outcomes include:

Stronger bilateral ties and renewed political trust.

Agreements on trade, defense cooperation, and connectivity.

Unified diplomatic messages against regional aggression.

Long-term impacts may include:

Creation of a new regional bloc focused on Muslim unity and cooperation.

Enhanced regional trade corridors linking South Asia with Central Asia and the Middle East.

A more peaceful and balanced geopolitical landscape where mutual respect prevails.

A Diplomatic Triumph

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s diplomatic tour was a message of peace, friendship, and regional cooperation. At a time when aggression could have escalated into catastrophe, Pakistan chose the path of solidarity, dialogue, and unity. The visit to Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan was not only a reassurance to Pakistan’s friends—it was a strategic recalibration of regional alliances in favor of cooperation over confrontation.

In this ever-evolving geopolitical landscape, nations that choose principles over pressure, and friendship over fear, will shape the future. Pakistan, with its four loyal partners, has taken a bold and commendable step in that direction.

Let us hope the message of this tour echoes far and wide: peace is possible, unity is powerful, and true friendship cannot be intimidated.

Armenia has long relied on Russian weapons in its bitter dispute with neighbouring Azerbaijan.

Russia’s top diplomat has blamed the war in Ukraine for affecting the supply of arms to Armenia, and has expressed concern that Moscow’s longstanding ally would now look to the West for military support instead.

Speaking in Yerevan on the second day of a two-day visit to Armenia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that some of Russia’s weapons contracts with the former Soviet republic had been delayed or reassigned due to the pressures created by the war in Ukraine.

Armenia has long relied on Russian weapons in its bitter dispute with neighbouring Azerbaijan, against whom it has fought a series of conflicts since the late 1980s.

“We are currently in a situation where, as has happened throughout history, we are forced to fight all of Europe,” Lavrov said, in a barbed reference to European support for Ukraine in response to the Russian invasion.

“Our Armenian friends understand that in such conditions, we cannot fulfil all our obligations on time.”

As Russia has failed to deliver on weapons contracts paid for by Armenia, Yerevan has increasingly turned to countries like France and India for military supplies.

Lavrov said that Russia would not oppose these growing ties, but said that they raised concerns about its traditional ally’s strategic intentions.

“When an ally turns to a country like France, which leads the hostile camp and whose president and ministers speak openly with hatred toward Russia, it does raise questions,” he said.

Armenia has strengthened its ties with the West amid recent ongoing tensions with Azerbaijan, fallout from the last major eruption of conflict and Russia’s role in that.

In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a military operation to retake Nagorno-Karabakh, a separatist enclave in Azerbaijan with a mostly ethnic Armenian population that had broken away from Baku with Armenian support amid the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Armenia accused Russian peacekeepers of failing to protect the more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians who fled the region, fuelled by decades of distrust, wars, mutual hatred and violence, after Azerbaijan’s lightning takeover.

Yerevan also suspended its involvement in the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, a Russian-led security umbrella of ex-Soviet countries, last year, saying it would not participate or fund the alliance.