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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.