India’s strategic partner Armenia to establish diplomatic ties with Pakistan

India’s strategic partner in the South Caucasus, Armenia, will establish diplomatic ties with Pakistan in what could change dynamics and equations for New Delhi in the region bordering Russia, Turkey and Iran.

The issue of creation of diplomatic ties between Armenia and Pakistan was discussed in a phone call between the two foreign ministers on Friday in what was the first between the two sides in decades. On Sunday both sides signed documents in Tianjin to launch process to establish diplomatic ties.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar following the phone call said that Pakistan has agreed to consider establishing diplomatic relations with Armenia.


“Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia, H.E. Ararat Mirzoyan @AraratMirzoyan and I held a cordial conversation on phone today, and agreed to consider establishing diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Armenia,” FM Dar posted on X.


Meanwhile, Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan also posted on X, saying, “Had an important call with DPM & FM H.E. Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 today. Following recent developments & in line with the vision of cooperative engagement both bilaterally & on multilateral platforms, we discussed establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia & Pakistan.”

Armenia does not have diplomatic ties with Pakistan as Islamabad does not recognize the country as a sovereign state in the context of its being geographically close with Azerbaijan. Pakistan has been backing Azerbaijan on the Nagorno Karabakh issue ever since Armenia and Azerbaijan became independent countries after the breakup of the Soviet Union.

However, dynamics have changed rapidly with Armenia and Azerbaijan concluding a peace deal brokered by the USA with support from Turkey. India had welcomed the peace agreement.

Interestingly, on Sunday at Tianjin, PM Narendra Modi shook hands with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the SCO Group picture of member states, dialogue partners and observers. India-Turkey ties had touched a new low following Ankara’s political and military support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.

Azerbaijan, also a close partner for Turkey, had backed Pakistan on the occasion. India had earlier expressed reservations against the presence of Turkey and Azerbaijan (both dialogue partners of SCO) at the Tianjian SCO Summit.

"The phone call between Armenian and Pakistani foreign ministers can be perceived within Armenian strategy to normalize relations with Azerbaijan and Turkiye. Given Azerbaijan-Turkiye -Pakistan strategic partnership, steps taken by Armenia to establish diplomatic relations with Pakistan can be a part of Armenia-Turkey-Azerbaijan normalization process and probably were facilitated or mediated by Turkiye. But this phone call or potential establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Armenia will not have a significant negative impact on India-Armenia relations,” an Armenian source told ET from Yerevan speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Armenia has been backing India on the Kashmir issue as opposed to Azerbaijan and Turkey for decades, and a few years back India began exporting defence hardware to Armenia. But the changing dynamics in the South Caucasus and Armenia-Pakistan engagement may shape India’s outlook including with Azerbaijan with which it has security and energy ties.

China is backing proposals to have both Armenia and Azerbaijan as SCO members from the current dialogue partners. China and Armenia established a strategic partnership as their leaders met in Tianjin on Sunday. Earlier this year Azerbaijan and China established a strategic partnership. The two countries along with Georgia provide China connectivity routes to Europe through Central Asia bypassing Russia.