BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 29. The signing of a tripartite agreement on cooperation in the sphere of transport and communications between Azerbaijan, Türkiye and Kazakhstan is a very important event in terms of building international and regional policy.
This agreement precedes the summit of the Caspian Sea region states, which is being held on June 29 in Turkmenistan’s Ashgabat.
Azerbaijan is gradually turning into a transport hub in the east, north and northeast directions, Turkish political expert, representative of the Ankara-Moscow expert-analytical network Engin Ozer told Trend.
"Türkiye and Turkic-speaking countries can enter the markets east, north and northeast directions through the territory of Azerbaijan,” Ozer said.
“I believe that maritime communication between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan will increase in the future to transport Kazakh grain and oil to the markets of the Middle East," he said.
He also said that an increase in the supply of grain from Kazakhstan to international markets, also an increase in its production are expected this year, against the background of military conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
According to Ozer, in this context, it is important to note the implementation of the Zangazur corridor.
"This corridor plays a key role in the diversification of new routes between these countries. I think the priority issue for Azerbaijan will be the launch of the Zangazur corridor in the near future," he said.
Head of the South Caucasus political science club, Ph.D. in Economics Ilgar Velizade said that the achievement of the tripartite agreement indicates the strengthening of cooperation in all formats.
The new trilateral format Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan-Türkiye has been ripening for a long time and currently focuses on major economic and transport issues.
"The trade turnover between Türkiye and Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan has begun to grow significantly in recent years,” Velizade said.
“Relations along political lines have also intensified, including in the sphere of military-technical cooperation,” he added.
“This format demonstrates that the potential for trilateral cooperation is quite large, especially against the backdrop of global risks, also stabilization and strengthening of security in the region," Velizade noted.
He also added that all formats of cooperation that are being formed in our region are mainly formed at the initiative of Azerbaijan.
"Their foundations and base, first of all, are laid in general logistics schemes and transport communications. Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) remains the core communications for us,” he said.
“However, we have been talking about diversification and the creation of new routes, in recent years, and in this sense, sides actively discussed the Zangazur corridor at a first trilateral meeting of Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan, Türkiye and Kazakhstan were held in Baku, on June 27, 2022,” Velizade added.
“It seems to me that the new route that will run through our region will be the Zangazur transport corridor," he also said.
Velizade added that a significant increase in transit cargo transportation is expected by the end of 2022.
“Increase is expected due to the redirection of goods to our region as a result of military actions between Russia and Ukraine,” Velizade noted.
Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are the main countries that receive cargo from Russia and the EU countries. Redirection of goods to our region increases transit potential of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan," Velizade said.
Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan, Türkiye and Kazakhstan – Jeyhun Bayramov, Mevlut Cavushoglu and Mukhtar Tileuberdi signed the Baku Declaration on Cooperation in Transport and Communications spheres, on June 27, 2022.
