ISLAMABAD PLEDGES `ANY SUPPORT` IN FREEING AZERI LAND
AzerNews
July 9 2008
Azerbaijan
Islamabad deems Azerbaijan`s position on the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh
conflict absolutely fair and is ready to do everything in its power
to achieve liberation of its Armenia-occupied territories, a senior
Pakistani lawmaker said.
Chair of the Pakistani Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator
Mushahid Hussain Sayed, said all of his country`s political forces
were unanimous on the issue.
"The government in Pakistan changes frequently. But the attitude toward
Azerbaijan remains unchanged," said Sayed, who heads a delegation
visiting Baku.
The statement came at a meeting with members of the inter-parliamentary
friendship group at the Milli Majlis (parliament).
Chairman of the group, Eldar Ibrahimov, thanked the Pakistani side for
the support to Azerbaijan, in particular, on the Garabagh problem. "We
highly assess Pakistan`s stance on the issue. This support is very
important for us."
Ibrahimov spoke highly of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf`s
statements on Azerbaijan, in particular, his readiness to do everything
possible to assist the country in settling its long-standing conflict
with Armenia.
Pakistan was the second country to recognize Azerbaijan`s
independence. Islamabad has not established diplomatic relations with
Armenia, which has been occupying over 20% of Azerbaijani territory
since the early 1990s.
The Pakistani senator told reporters that his country and Azerbaijan
have a lot in common. He said both countries were facing major
conflicts, referring to the Kashmir problem in Pakistan and the
Garabagh conflict.
"Both conflicts are a legacy of colonialism. Just like Azerbaijan,
Pakistan is suffering from aggression. Our land has also been occupied
by invaders."
Sayed said the two countries were closely cooperating within
international groups, including the UN, the Organization for Islamic
Conference and the Economic Cooperation Organization. He recalled
that Pakistan chaired the UN Security Council when the organization
passed Resolution 822 confirming that Armenian armed forces occupied
part of Azerbaijani territory in 1993. Islamabad made a particular
effort to achieve the passage of the document. This was also the
case in mid-March, when the UN General Assembly passed a resolution
demanding unconditional pullout of the Armenian forces from the
occupied territories. The Pakistani representative at the UN lobbied
for its adoption, Sayed said.
He went on to say that Azerbaijan and Pakistan could join effort
to create a new framework for cooperation in the region which
envisions discussions on political and economic issues as well as
energy security.
Sayed said a conference on Azerbaijan will be held in the Pakistani
legislature within the next three months to moot the mentioned
issues. The date and venue of the event is yet to be determined. It
may take place in Islamabad or Baku.
Sayed noted that his visit to last till Thursday aimed to further
strengthen the relations between the two countries` parliaments,
governments and people.
The Pakistani delegation comprises representatives of five political
parties represented in parliament, including members of both the
ruling coalition and the opposition.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
