After Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto postponed his visit to Pakistan, the Shehbaz Sharif government is now working to strengthen ties with its traditional allies, Turkey and Azerbaijan. This move follows the postponement, which Pakistani experts have described as a setback for the country.

According to media reports of Azerbaijan, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had met  Vugar Mustafayeva where the two leaders had agreed to strengthen their bilateral relations with mutual commitment.  Mustafayeva had visited Pakistan on 23-24 January to co-chair 8th Session of the Pakistan-Azerbaijan Joint Ministerial Commission. 

As per a report published in ET, Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations, General Kashif, visited Baku and signed a military agreement aimed at enhancing coordination between the two countries. Additionally, the two nations have agreed to sign an MoU for establishing an advanced electronic data interchange between Pakistan Customs and Azerbaijan’s Customs Committee. Last year, they also signed a deal for JF-17 fighter jets. Furthermore, Pakistan intends to invite Azerbaijan to join the White Oil Pipeline project.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is scheduled to visit Pakistan at the end of March. There is keen interest in hearing Erdoğan’s stance on Kashmir, as he has refrained from commenting on the issue in the past.