AZE.US
Azerbaijan is no longer being viewed only as a South Caucasus country, but as one of the key geopolitical hubs of Eurasia, where the interests of the European Union, NATO, Turkey, Russia, the United States, China and Central Asian states intersect.
Turkish political analyst and professor Toghrul Ismayil made the remarks in an interview with the YouTube channel “Modern Conversation with Rasim Babayev.”
According to Ismayil, the recent increase in high-level diplomatic contacts with Baku is not accidental. He said it reflects a broader geopolitical shift following major changes in the South Caucasus.
“After the cardinal changes in the South Caucasus, Baku is becoming one of the key centers in the formation of a new regional architecture,” he said.
The analyst noted that several senior Western officials have recently visited Azerbaijan, including representatives of France, NATO and the European Union. The expected visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to the region also fits into this wider diplomatic pattern, he said.
Ismayil argued that Azerbaijan’s role has grown because the country now occupies a strategic position in several overlapping areas: regional security, energy supplies, transport routes, the Middle Corridor and the peace process between Baku and Yerevan.
“For Europe, Baku is not only an alternative supplier of energy resources, but also an important transport and logistics bridge between Europe and Asia,” he said.
He added that after Azerbaijan restored full sovereignty over Karabakh, a new political reality emerged in the region. In his view, international actors now understand that questions of South Caucasus security, transport projects and the future peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia cannot be discussed without Baku.
The expert also linked the diplomatic activity around Azerbaijan to the wider international situation, including the war in Ukraine, tensions around Iran, changes in global energy routes and the development of the Middle Corridor.
“The South Caucasus is gradually ceasing to be a periphery of world politics and is becoming one of the key areas of strategic competition,” Ismayil said.
He also emphasized Turkey’s growing role. According to him, Ankara’s position in European, Black Sea, Middle Eastern and Eurasian security has become more important, and Azerbaijan’s strategic alliance with Turkey, formalized through the Shusha Declaration, further strengthens Baku’s position.
Ismayil said Azerbaijan’s geography, energy resources, transport capacity and close partnership with Turkey make it one of the most important factors of regional stability.
In his view, future discussions within NATO and other Western platforms will increasingly focus not only on Ukraine, but also on a new security system stretching from the Black Sea to the South Caucasus and Central Asia.
“The attention of global centers of power is now focused not only on Ankara, but also on Baku,” Ismayil concluded.
AZE.US