Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that Pakistan has welcomed the historic peace agreement signed between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia at the White House Summit under the auspices of US President Donald J Trump. In a post uploaded on his X account on Saturday morning, PM Shehbaz Sharif wrote: “This landmark development marks the dawn of a new era of peace, stability, and cooperation in the South Caucasus, a region that has endured decades of conflict and human suffering.

We congratulate President Ilham Aliyev and the people of Azerbaijan on this historic agreement, that reflects wisdom, foresight and sagacity in charting a course for a peaceful future for their region.” The prime minister further said that Pakistan had always stood by the brotherly nation of Azerbaijan, and stood with them at this proud moment of their history.

“We also appreciate the facilitation role of the United States, under President Donald Trump, in bringing the two sides together and securing an agreement that opens new avenues for trade, connectivity, and regional integration. It is our hope that this spirit of dialogue will serve as an example for other regions facing protracted conflicts,” he added.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have committed to a lasting peace after decades of conflict, US President Donald Trump said Friday as he hosted the leaders of the South Caucasus rivals at a White House signing event. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan's longtime President Ilham Aliyev said Trump's mediation should earn him a Nobel Peace Prize -- an award the US leader has been vocal about seeking.

The two former Soviet republics "are committing to stop all fighting forever, open up commerce, travel and diplomatic relations and respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Trump said at the event. However the fine print and binding nature of the deal between the long-time foes remained unclear. The two leaders would have a "great relationship," Trump said. "But if there's conflict... they're going to call me and we're going to get it straightened out," he added.

Christian-majority Armenia and Muslim-majority Azerbaijan have feuded for decades over their border and the status of ethnic enclaves within each other's territories. The nations went to war twice over the disputed Karabakh region, which Azerbaijan recaptured from Armenian forces in a lightning 2023 offensive, sparking the exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)