On Sunday, Pakistan expressed its vehement opposition to a recent election that took place in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, stating that it recognizes the region as Azerbaijan’s sovereign territory and that any attempt to organize elections there is “legally and morally repugnant.”
On Saturday, lawmakers in the Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh, home to a breakaway Armenian population, voted to choose a new separatist leader. The decision drew harsh criticism from Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry, which described the election as a “gross violation” of its constitution and said it dealt a “severe blow” to attempts to achieve normalcy in the area. Azerbaijan and Armenia fought two wars in the early 1990s and again in 2020 over control of the region, which the international community recognizes as belonging to Azerbaijan but is primarily populated by Armenians.
Although the European Union, the United States, and Russia have made attempts to mediate, and the UN Security Council unanimously called for the resolution of their conflict in August, the two former Soviet Republics have not been able to achieve a lasting peace accord. When asked about the issue, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the spokeswoman for Pakistan’s foreign office, responded, “Pakistan considers Karabagh to be the sovereign territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and any attempt by the illegally installed regime to conduct so-called elections is legally and morally reprehensible.” This undertaking also represents a significant breach of both the UN Charter and the core principles of recognized international law.
Following the resignation of Arayik Harutyunyan, who left his position as head of state on September 1st, Samvel Shakhramanyan was chosen to take over, against the backdrop of rising tensions between the two former Soviet republics. Since December, Azerbaijan has barricaded the single route connecting Armenia with the area, leading to shortages of food and medical supplies there.
Pakistan has consistently called for Armenian forces to leave the area and surrounding areas while also supporting Azerbaijan’s claim to the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Islamabad has continually worked towards resolving the conflict between the two nations under the directives of the United Nations Security Council.
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