By Our Diplomatic Correspondent
ISLAMABAD: The Third Trilateral Speakers’ Meeting of the Parliaments of Pakistan, Azerbaijan, and Türkiye Monday said that global and regional peace and stability require the peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The Islamabad Declaration was adopted at the conclusion of the Third Trilateral Speakers’ Meeting, which was held on the invitation of National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.
The declaration, “Acknowledged the shared bonds of history, culture and values between the peoples of their countries;
-Desired to deepen cooperation built on the outcomes of the previous two Trilateral Meetings held in Baku and Istanbul in 2021 and 2022, respectively, in all areas of mutual interest, including political, strategic, trade, economic, defense, peace and security, science and technology, climate change, environmental and cultural fields;
-Reaffirmed the desire to maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges and consultations, providing impetus for the deepening of ties between the countries;
-Welcomed the Trilateral Summits of the Heads of States and Governments of three countries, demonstrating their brotherhood and solidarity and setting the strategic vision for advancing the multidimensional cooperation;
-Decided to further promote collaboration within the framework of the UN, OIC, the ECO, and the D-8 at the government level as well as international Inter-Parliamentary organizations, including IPU, PUIC, APA and PAECO;
-Resolved to work together to address threats posed by the adverse effects of climate change, and explore avenues to enhance cooperation about implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
-Reaffirmed in this regard, the importance of the outcomes of COP29 in Baku as a critical step toward strengthened global climate action and emphasized the urgent need to ensure their full, timely and effective implementation;
-Recognized the adoption of the New Collective Quantitative Goal on Climate Finance (NCQF) at COP29 as a historic milestone for achieving global climate goals; noted, however, with concern that the current provision of climate finance for adaptation remains insufficient to respond to worsening climate change impacts in developing countries, and commended the adoption of the framework for carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, ending a decade-long impasse;
-Recognized the myriad challenges and emerging threats confronting their countries, including, but not limited to, use of terrorist groups as proxies and terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, cyber-attacks, hybrid forms of warfare, targeted disinformation campaigns;
-Reaffirmed the importance of adherence to the principles and norms of international law, also to their obligations stemming from the international agreements and other international documents for consolidation of cooperation;
-Urged the effective implementation of international environmental agreements both within the region and globally, for the sustainable and cooperative use of natural resources, and condemned, in that respect, any breaches of international agreements which led to use of natural resources as instruments of warfare;
-Recognized that the development, peace, security, stability and human rights are interlinked and mutually reinforcing;
-Acknowledged the pivotal role their countries play in ensuring energy security, advancing the development of renewable energy sources and deepening cooperation in the field of energy transit;
-Reaffirmed their determination to support their governments in further strengthening and expanding trilateral strategic cooperation in connectivity projects, including the East-West and North-South Corridors;
-Reiterated their decisiveness to strengthen the existing relations, foster interactions of standing committees, friendship groups and administrative staff of the Parliaments;
-Emphasized the role of bilateral and multilateral parliamentary relations in consolidation of international peace and security, in resolution of international disputes;
-Resolved to regularly organize training and capacity building programs for the parliamentarians and parliamentary staffers for shared learning and experience sharing;
-Underlined their support for the initiatives and steps taken for strengthening the roles and responsibilities of women and youth in the decision-making processes, including, inter alia, by fostering youth exchange programs, forums and public diplomacy projects;
-Voiced their support to international organizations, in particular, parliamentary assemblies in presenting inclusive platforms for constructive dialogue and collaboration;
-Underlined their support for the initiatives and steps taken for strengthening the roles and responsibilities of women and youth in the decision-making processes, including, inter alia, by fostering youth exchange programs, forums and public diplomacy projects;
-Expressed their readiness to work closely towards having a joint stance of three brotherly countries on regional and global issues of common interest within the international parliamentary organizations;
-Stressed the threats and numerous challenges that Muslims around the world face, such as right-wing extremism, xenophobia, and rising trends of Islamophobia, all of which affect their peaceful coexistence in the countries they reside in;
-Underscored their preparedness to coordinate joint efforts on combating Islamophobia, discrimination against and persecution of Muslim Minorities, in particular, at the regional and international parliamentary fora;
-Emphasized that the recent efforts to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable agreement in the Gaza Strip must ensure the end of killing of civilian population by Israeli forces, unrestricted delivery of humanitarian aid, prevention of displacement of the Palestinian people, full Israeli withdrawal, rebuilding of the Gaza Strip, and unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank;
-Stressed the need for a just and lasting solution to the illegal Israeli occupation through the implementation of the two-state solution in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions, and establishment of an independent, sovereign, and contiguous State of Palestine based on 4 June 1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital;
-Reiterated their determination to further cooperate within the Group of Parliaments in Support of Palestine, which was established on 18 April, 2025 in Istanbul, through concerted actions with other participant parliaments;
-Recognized that ensuring global and regional peace and stability requires the peaceful resolution of the Jammu & Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions;
-Declared that any attempts to alter the demographic composition of Jammu & Kashmir would exacerbate tensions and lead to further escalation in the region;
-Reiterated their intention to sustain and further develop inter-parliamentary dialogue and cooperation with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the Legislative Assembly of the TRNC, including through regular exchanges between parliamentary committees, friendship groups and secretariats;
-Concerned over grave challenges faced by Azerbaijan due to massive contamination of its conflict-affected territories with landmines and other explosive remnants of war, and, in this regard, emphasized their full solidarity with and support to Azerbaijan in its efforts to rehabilitate and rebuild the liberated territories, including through humanitarian demining and ensure the safe and dignified return of the IDPs to their homes”.
The meeting agreed to convene the next trilateral meeting in Azerbaijan on mutually decided dates in 2026.
The Speakers of Türkiye and Azerbaijan expressed their deep gratitude to Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and the National Assembly of Pakistan for their warm hospitality, excellent arrangements, and successful organization of the Third Trilateral Speakers’ Meeting in Islamabad.
