AZE.US
Turkmenistan’s growing engagement with Azerbaijan could help move Trans-Caspian transport and energy projects from discussion to implementation, Azerbaijani political analyst Rizvan Huseynov said in an interview with the Novosti Kavkaza channel.
Commenting on the visit of Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov to Baku, Huseynov said Turkmenistan is a special and important state in the Caspian region and the Turkic world.
He noted that contacts between Baku and Ashgabat have intensified recently, including cultural events such as the Days of Azerbaijani Culture and Music in Turkmenistan.
According to Huseynov, these steps have helped refresh Azerbaijani-Turkmen relations at a time when the broader Caspian region is gaining new geopolitical importance.
“It is very important for Turkmenistan to become a connecting link in Trans-Caspian projects,” Huseynov said.
The analyst said new transport routes through Turkestan, the Caspian region, the South Caucasus and further to Europe are becoming increasingly relevant.
In his view, growing tensions around Iran have made the alternative route across the Caspian Sea more important than before. He said China’s Belt and Road Initiative had previously focused heavily on the Iranian direction, but current regional risks are now strengthening the role of the Middle Corridor.
Huseynov stressed that the Middle Corridor should be viewed not only as a China-related route, but also as a Turkic project linked to the Organization of Turkic States.
“The Middle Corridor is a Turkic project, a project of the OTS, supported by all,” he said.
According to Huseynov, this route is now backed by several major powers, including Beijing, Washington and London. Unlike other regions where global players are in direct competition, he said there is a certain synergy around transit projects passing through the Caspian and the South Caucasus.
The analyst noted that Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have already reached an understanding on Trans-Caspian and underwater Caspian projects. He also pointed to Uzbekistan’s investment in Turkmen ports and infrastructure as another important factor.
If Turkmenistan becomes an active participant in Trans-Caspian projects, Huseynov said, the region could move to a new stage.
“This gives us confidence that we are moving from words to action,” he said.
Huseynov added that communication between Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan through the Trans-Caspian route would strengthen the role of the Caspian region and the South Caucasus as key links in the future Eurasian transport architecture.
AZE.US