AZE.US
Growing U.S. and European interest in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan is tied to the development of a new overland transport corridor between Asia and Europe, according to regional analyst Rizvan Huseynov.
Huseynov, director of the Center for the History of the Caucasus and author of Azerbaijan and the Armenian Question in the Caucasus, made the remarks during an interview with the Novosti Kavkaza project.
He said instability along maritime trade routes, sanctions on Russia and security risks around Iran are increasing the importance of the Trans-Caspian corridor.
The route would connect Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan with Azerbaijan across the Caspian Sea. From Azerbaijan, cargo could continue through Georgia toward the Black Sea or through Armenia, Nakhchivan and Turkey toward the Mediterranean and European markets.
Huseynov said Azerbaijan is becoming the central logistics hub of this emerging network.
He stressed that the project is not limited to transporting Chinese goods. It could also support industrial development, energy projects, digital infrastructure and new communications links across the region.
According to Huseynov, the European Union’s recent activity and Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Baku showed that major Trans-Caspian projects cannot be implemented without Azerbaijan.
He added that Caspian states should shape the rules of regional cooperation themselves and avoid excessive dependence on any single external power.
AZE.US