BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 23. Over the next 5 to 10 years, the opportunities for Central Asia and Azerbaijan will shift toward the south rather than the west, and now is the time to invest in the necessary infrastructure and transport corridors, Shehryar Omar, Director General of the Petroleum Institute of Pakistan, said at the 2nd Forum on Logistics and Oil Trade in the Caspian and Central Asian Regions in Baku, Trend reports.
According to him, traditional Western markets, including Europe, are expected to gradually lose importance in the long term due to demographic changes and the ongoing transition away from fossil fuels.
He noted that the southern direction offers access to a rapidly growing market with a population of around 2 billion people, where steady economic growth is being observed.
In this context, Omar called on regional countries to intensify efforts in developing infrastructure projects oriented toward southern routes.
He also highlighted Pakistan as a potential transport and energy corridor to the Arabian Sea, pointing to existing investment and trade ties, including cooperation with the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) in the field of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline projects.
According to him, the development of southern routes could also enhance supply resilience amid potential geopolitical risks, including restrictions on traditional transit pathways.
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