BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 18. The development of the Middle Corridor has played a major role in the integration processes between Azerbaijan and the countries of Central Asia, Azerbaijani MP, Director of the Institute for Development and Diplomacy, Fariz Ismailzade, said at an international conference entitled 'C6: One region, shared future – enhancing strategic dialogue', Trend reports.
According to him, political, economic, and humanitarian aid have contributed to strengthening Azerbaijan's ties with Central Asian countries.
"The development of the Middle Corridor has played a very significant role in our integration processes, as Russian railways have been under sanctions for the past four years. Transporting European products to China and Central Asia via Russian railways has become more difficult," Ismailzade explained.
He recalled that Iran has been under sanctions for over 20 years, and accordingly, the Middle Corridor—the route through Baku and Alat, linking ports with Aktau and Turkmenistan- has become a key integration link for developing relations.
"Azerbaijan is increasingly focusing on China. Last April, President Ilham Aliyev paid a state visit to China, where a strategic partnership agreement was signed," he noted.
At the same time, the MP emphasized that the development of Azerbaijani-Chinese relations also contributes to strengthening integration processes in Central Asia.
"To access Chinese markets, Azerbaijan must pass through Central Asia. This means developing infrastructure and transport projects, energy projects, and joint investments. Therefore, Azerbaijan currently has bilateral investment funds with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, which actively contribute to strengthening economic ties," he added.
He also underscored that the parties are investing in joint economic projects and production.
"A joint Uzbek-Azerbaijani textile factory is already operating in Karabakh. There are numerous plans for the future. These processes demonstrate that integration with Central Asia for Azerbaijan is more than just pompous political slogans. It's specific integration in economic, transport, and energy projects, and all of this impacts the C6 format.
The C6 format has great potential if attention is paid to strengthening its institutions. In this case, it could become a good example, like the Organization of Turkic States, which also began as a humanitarian platform, a rather weak form of integration, but subsequently saw a strong process of institutionalization and the development of various cooperation mechanisms," Ismailzade concluded.
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