MOSCOW, August 6. /TASS/. Islamabad attaches great importance to strengthening its ties with Moscow, Yerevan and Baku, Pakistani Ambassador to Russia Faisal Niaz Tirmizi said in an interview with TASS.
Commenting on the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Armenia following the resolution of disagreements between Baku and Yerevan, as well as the appointment of Armenia’s first-ever ambassador to Pakistan, the diplomat stressed that "Armenia, Azerbaijan and Caucasia have much in common with Pakistan."
"For many years, we had not had a diplomatic relationship with Armenia, and I'm very happy that after the recent [events], there has been a realization that we have to have normal contact with Armenia," Tirmizi said.
"There’s a sizable Armenian population within Pakistan as well. Not many people know that one of the highest winners of a war medal was an Armenian - Pakistani soldier of Armenian origin," he said.
Tirmizi also recalled that he had traveled extensively across Russia’s Dagestan, Chechnya, Sochi and Krasnodar and had also visited Azerbaijan. He said that historically, there had been strong ties between the Caucasus region and Pakistan and that he saw considerable potential for cooperation between Pakistan, Armenia and the entire Caucasus region.
"And then I was in Dubai. There were a lot of marriages between the Armenians and Pakistanis, so it’s good for people-to-people contact, good for trade, good for culture. And I believe that Armenia, Azerbaijan and Caucasia have so much in common with Pakistan," the diplomat concluded.