BIG DIPLOMACY IN LACHIN

Major diplomatic developments in recent years have increasingly emanated from the territories liberated from Armenian occupation. These include the historic Shusha Declaration, signed on 15 June 2021 by Azerbaijani and Turkish Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Shusha, which formalised the military alliance between Azerbaijan and Türkiye. Shusha has also hosted a number of high-level international forums of considerable prestige.

This time, the focus of diplomatic activity shifted to Lachin, where the Prime Minister of Pakistan and the President of Türkiye paid a landmark visit. Analysts widely believe that the Azerbaijan–Türkiye–Pakistan trilateral summit in Lachin has marked the beginning of far-reaching geopolitical processes, the significance of which transcends the South Caucasus region.

What precedes diplomacy

When discussing the "big diplomacy" in Lachin, it is fitting to begin with the chronicle of the Great Return. In the days preceding the summit and high-level diplomatic meetings, President Ilham Aliyev inaugurated a digital control centre for the local electricity network and opened both a shoe and garment factory in Lachin. He also met with residents of the restored village of Beylik—former IDPs who have now returned to their native land. During this meeting, the Azerbaijani President made a poignant policy statement: May would now symbolise a double celebration—the nation’s independence and the residents’ return to Beylik.

"But May was once a tragic month for the people of Lachin. Lachin was occupied in May, just ten days after Shusha fell. It was a profound tragedy and misfortune—not only for you, but for the entire country—because the occupation of Lachin laid the groundwork for our subsequent defeats in the war. The then-Nagorno-Garabagh region became geographically connected to Armenia. The infamous Lachin corridor was opened. But that corridor no longer exists. A new Lachin-Khankendi road has long been established. The Lachin corridor is now part of history," the President said.

In May 1992, Lachin was a symbol of tragedy for Azerbaijan. However, since the autumn of 2020, it has increasingly been the setting for pivotal moments in the nation’s liberation campaign. Part of the Lachin district was reclaimed during the Patriotic War. Under the terms of the Trilateral Statement signed on the night of 10 November, the district—excluding a 10-km-wide corridor—was returned to Azerbaijani control without a fight. An alternative road was subsequently constructed, enabling Azerbaijan to regain control over the villages of Zabukh and Sus ahead of schedule.

Ultimately, Lachin was the site of a decisive and masterfully executed move by Azerbaijan, under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, which combined military, diplomatic, and political levers. On 23 April 2023, the Lachin-Goris border checkpoint was established on the Lachin-Goris road. For the first time since restoring independence, Azerbaijan had full control over its state borders. The corridor ceased to exist.

Baku had long asserted that the road—ostensibly overseen by Russian peacekeepers—was being exploited for unauthorised purposes, including the transport of arms, landmines, and military personnel. When it became clear that the international community was unwilling to address this breach, Azerbaijan took matters into its own hands. In September 2023, following localised anti-terror operations, several individuals now facing trial under the so-called "Azerbaijani Nuremberg Tribunal"—including Ruben Vardanian—were detained at the very same Lachin checkpoint.

It is particularly symbolic, then, that a new chapter in strategic diplomacy is being written in this very location.

Allies old and new

President Erdogan’s visit to Lachin followed a recognisable format, familiar not only to Azerbaijani audiences. It began with the inauguration of Lachin International Airport—the third such facility in the liberated territories. Certain details—the ribbon-cutting, symbolic keys, and presidential aircraft on the tarmac—were reminiscent of earlier airport openings in Fuzuli and Zangilan. Erdogan’s recitation of Samed Vurghun’s poem Azerbaijan carried more than just poetic sentiment. In the East, symbolic gestures often resonate as powerfully as the formal language of diplomacy.

The Presidents of Azerbaijan and Türkiye held one-on-one discussions and inspected progress on the Lachin-Kalbajar motorway—a dual-purpose infrastructure project, much like the airport. Though Azerbaijan and Armenia are negotiating a peace treaty, the rise of revanchist rhetoric in Armenia cannot be overlooked. In this context, the expansion of transport networks—roads, tunnels, and more—across the liberated territories also serves a strategic defence function.

The future promenade zone in Lachin has now been visited by all three leaders: Ilham Aliyev, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif.

Relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan are clearly ascending. Pakistan was among the first countries to recognise Azerbaijan’s independence and has never established diplomatic ties with Armenia, in protest at its aggression. Azerbaijan has reciprocated by firmly backing Pakistan’s position on the Jammu and Kashmir issue. Yet for years, political engagement between Baku and Islamabad lacked the intensity it now displays. President Aliyev’s 2024 visit to Pakistan signalled a new chapter—and now Prime Minister Sharif is being received in Lachin.

Islamabad is evidently seeking a greater role on the Caucasian stage. Sharif’s visit to Azerbaijan and his public endorsement of Baku provoked a notably anxious reaction among Armenian commentators, who have hinted at a potential counteraction by India. However, expectations of Indian support for Yerevan appear misplaced. According to leaks, the much-touted $1.5 billion arms contracts between Armenia and India remain stalled. The reason is clear: a short-lived but consequential military clash between India and Pakistan, which concluded disastrously for New Delhi. What was expected to be a "small victorious war" became a "military and political embarrassment", leaving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government with little appetite for indulging Yerevan.

Trilateral Summit: what lies beneath?

That conflict significantly altered the diplomatic landscape among Baku, Ankara, and Islamabad. Both Azerbaijan and Türkiye extended unequivocal support to Pakistan during the crisis. And Islamabad has not forgotten.

"Azerbaijan was once attacked by Armenia. Türkiye and Pakistan stood by Azerbaijan like a rock. Pakistan was attacked by India. My dear brother Recep Tayyip Erdogan and our Turkish brothers and sisters supported us without hesitation. It was support as unyielding as a fortress. And my dear brother Ilham Aliyev and our Azerbaijani brothers and sisters showed the same solidarity. This is one of the proudest moments in our shared history—when three brotherly nations came together as a family. They stood united in adversity, and we will never forget that. I can never repay the support of my brother President Erdogan and, of course, my dear brother President Ilham Aliyev," declared the Pakistani Prime Minister ahead of the celebratory concert.

While some commentators note that the summit concluded without the signing of formal declarations or the establishment of new institutions, few doubt that it signalled the emergence of a new geopolitical configuration. Countries that were once peripheral actors—mere satellites of global powers—are now asserting autonomous political identities. Today, Türkiye, Pakistan and Azerbaijan are projecting themselves as independent forces in regional and global affairs. New alliances are taking shape, particularly within frameworks such as the Organisation of Turkic-speaking States.

Pakistan, too, is increasingly pursuing an autonomous foreign policy—fostering ties with China, and delivering a clear message to its regional counterparts: it must now be addressed on equal terms.

Just prior to the Lachin summit, Türkiye achieved a major breakthrough on a sensitive issue: the PKK announced its self-dissolution. Meanwhile, the impending fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria is visibly strengthening Ankara’s hand in the Middle East.

Finally, Azerbaijan has secured a historic victory in Garabagh—becoming the first state in the post-Soviet space to fully restore its territorial integrity. Against this backdrop, the trilateral summit in Lachin is more than a diplomatic gathering—it is a declaration of intent from three nations that have each scored significant political victories. It is therefore with full justification that President Ilham Aliyev proclaimed in Lachin that the messages delivered here would undoubtedly reach their intended recipients.