AZE.US
Azerbaijan has been working on the Middle Corridor since regaining independence, presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev said, describing the route as part of a broader shift in Baku’s foreign policy and regional role.
AZE.US reports, that Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, made the remarks in an online address to the Trans-Caspian Forum.
He said new dimensions and opportunities had opened in Azerbaijan’s foreign policy after the end of the conflict with Armenia and the establishment of peace in the region.
“Azerbaijan is a South Caucasus country. At the same time, we belong to the Central Asian family and the Caspian Sea region. Azerbaijan also has European and Middle Eastern identities. All these values do not contradict each other, they complement each other,” Hajiyev said.
He said Azerbaijan had moved toward the concept of a “middle power” after the conflict with Armenia.
“For us, the concept of a middle power is not measured only by size, economy or population. It is a network of partnerships between countries,” Hajiyev said.
The presidential aide said the Caspian Sea serves as a trade route for Azerbaijan and connects the country with Central Asia.
He noted that last year Azerbaijan was admitted as a full member of the Consultative Meeting of Central Asian Heads of State by unanimous support and decision of the countries of the region.
“I metaphorically call this C5+1. Central Asia and Azerbaijan share historical, cultural and linguistic values and norms. Azerbaijan is also a strategic ally of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and other countries of the region,” Hajiyev said.
He added that the Organization of Turkic States provides another framework for this cooperation.
According to Hajiyev, the Turkic world, with its young demographics, strategic energy resources, important mineral reserves and strong economy, is becoming a new political reality and a platform for cooperation across the wider Eurasian continent.
Hajiyev said the Middle Corridor is moving through a deep transformation from a transport route into a strategic geoeconomic system linking Europe, the South Caucasus, Central Asia and other regions.
He said the route is gaining additional importance amid escalating conflicts in the Gulf region and the Middle East.
“One of the key components of the Middle Corridor is the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway,” Hajiyev said.
He said another important element of the connectivity architecture is linked to Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan region.
“The emerging Zangezur Corridor is increasingly viewed as a strategic segment of the Middle Corridor. It has the potential not only to strengthen East-West connectivity, but also to reinforce Azerbaijan’s direct connection with Türkiye and, more broadly, with European countries,” Hajiyev said.
AZE.US