1 September 2025
Pakistan and Armenia have kicked off diplomatic relations with a historic agreement signed at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China, on Sunday. Foreign Ministers Ishaq Dar and Ararat Mirzoyan inked a deal to boost trade, education, and cultural ties, marking a bold shift in Pakistan’s foreign policy after decades of distance.
For years, Pakistan avoided ties with Armenia due to its staunch support for Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, backing Baku at the UN alongside ally Turkey. Armenia, in turn, built strong defence and trade links with India, Pakistan’s rival, to counter this alignment. This created a diplomatic standoff, though direct hostility never emerged. The August 2025 Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal, brokered by Turkey, changed the game, opening the door for Pakistan to engage Yerevan without risking its Azerbaijan partnership.
The new ties could see Pakistan tap Armenia’s market for textiles and agriculture, sectors driving a 16.2% export surge in July 2025, according to the Finance Ministry. Cooperation within the SCO, attended by leaders like China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, may also strengthen Pakistan’s security and economic role in the region. Dar called the move a “step towards stability,” but Pakistan must tread carefully to maintain its close ties with Azerbaijan.
