Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrived in Baku today to participate in a high-profile trilateral summit with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, coinciding with Azerbaijan’s Independence Day and the opening of Lachin International Airport.

Turkish Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun confirmed Erdoğan’s visit, highlighting its significance in strengthening ties among Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan. The visit includes bilateral talks between Erdoğan and Aliyev, focusing on deepening cooperation in energy, defense, trade, and regional stability in the South Caucasus, alongside discussions on global developments.

The 2nd Turkey-Azerbaijan-Pakistan Trilateral Summit will address strategic collaboration, regional security, and economic integration, building on the inaugural summit held in Islamabad in 2021. A major event during the visit is the inauguration of Lachin International Airport, Azerbaijan’s highest-altitude airport, constructed in the reclaimed Lachin region after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. The airport symbolizes Azerbaijan’s post-conflict reconstruction and the growing partnership among the three nations.

Erdoğan will also join Azerbaijan’s Independence Day cultural celebrations, reinforcing Türkiye’s steadfast support for Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and rebuilding efforts. The visit underscores the Ankara-Baku-Islamabad axis as an emerging strategic bloc in the Islamic world and Eurasian region. (ILKHA)