At the Tianjin summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the membership applications of Azerbaijan and Armenia caused serious tension between India and Pakistan.
The editorial office reports that India vetoed Azerbaijan's full membership application to the SCO for the second time. Although China supported Baku's accession to the organization, the initiative remained fruitless due to the condition of unanimous decision-making. Pakistan, in a retaliatory move, blocked Armenia's application. Thus, the tension was centered not directly on Azerbaijan and Armenia, but on India and Pakistan.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev called India's veto an “act of revenge” and stated: “India is taking revenge on us, but our bond of brotherhood with Pakistan is above all else.”
One of the notable points within the framework of the summit was the meeting held between Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. This meeting, where the two leaders gave open messages for dialogue, remained in the shadow of the India-Pakistan confrontation within the SCO.
Sevinj Karimova