Armenia and Pakistan formally established diplomatic relations on Sunday during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit held in Tianjin, China, marking a historic shift in regional dynamics.
The agreement was formalized as Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, and Armenia’s Foreign Minister, Ararat Mirzoyan, exchanged a Joint Communiqué. Both ministers emphasized their commitment to the principles of the United Nations Charter and discussed potential cooperation in various fields, including trade, education, culture, and tourism.
Pakistan had previously withheld recognition of Armenia’s sovereignty due to the long-standing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The decision to establish ties comes just weeks after Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a U.S.-brokered peace agreement in Washington on August 8, effectively ending a conflict that spanned more than three decades following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The move also comes amid Armenia’s broader diplomatic efforts at the SCO summit, where Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an apparent attempt to mend strained relations between Yerevan and Moscow. Relations had soured in recent years due to Pashinyan’s pro-Western policies following the 2018 color revolution that brought his government to power.
Additionally, Pashinyan held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, resulting in a strategic partnership agreement in which China endorsed Armenia’s “Crossroads of Peace” initiative. This initiative could potentially integrate Armenia into China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), offering new economic and infrastructural opportunities for the South Caucasus nation.
While Armenia has in recent years distanced itself from Russia and Iran in pursuit of closer ties with the West, including aspirations to join the European Union, the agreements reached on Sunday suggest Yerevan may be seeking a more balanced foreign policy. Establishing diplomatic relations with Pakistan not only ends a long-standing rift but also signals Armenia’s intent to diversify its alliances without fully alienating its historical partners in the region.
The two-day SCO summit, which began on Sunday, is expected to conclude on Monday with further discussions on regional cooperation and security.