Azerbaijan Highlights Strategic Vision for Middle Corridor at GLOBSEC 2025
Prague, The Gulf Observer: Azerbaijan views the Middle Corridor not merely as a transportation route, but as a broader platform for intercultural dialogue, said Hikmat Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration. His remarks were delivered during a panel discussion titled “The Middle Corridor: A New Geopolitical and Economic Lifeline?” held as part of the GLOBSEC Forum 2025 in Prague.
In his address, Hajiyev emphasized that transportation routes, especially roads, have always been integral to Azerbaijan’s concept of culture and civilization, rooted in the country’s historical role along the ancient Silk Road. He noted that while Azerbaijan’s geographic position at the crossroads of East-West and North-South routes is strategically significant, the country’s true accomplishment lies in the practical measures taken since independence to realize this potential. “As a landlocked country, we have worked to turn that limitation into an advantage,” he stated.
Hajiyev detailed Azerbaijan’s contributions across multiple strategic domains:
- In the energy sector, major projects such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline have successfully connected the Caspian Sea with the Black and Mediterranean Seas, creating vital energy corridors.
- In infrastructure development, Azerbaijan has invested in modern highways and road networks that integrate seamlessly with neighboring states, boosting regional accessibility.
- On maritime cooperation, he underlined that the Caspian Sea is regarded not as a dividing line, but as a connecting bridge, fostering deeper engagement with Central Asian countries.
- As part of its air transport strategy, Azerbaijan has developed an “Air Silk Road”, currently operating nine international airports to enhance transcontinental connectivity.
- In the digital domain, Hajiyev highlighted the Digital Silk Road initiative, developed in partnership with Kazakhstan, which aims to establish a high-speed internet link across Eurasia via the Caspian Sea.
- Furthermore, Azerbaijan is advancing a “Green Energy Corridor” to transfer the renewable energy potential of the Caspian region to Europe through the Black Sea route.
“These efforts represent Azerbaijan’s strategic contribution to East-West connectivity and the broader vision of regional and global integration,” Hajiyev concluded.
The GLOBSEC Forum 2025 panel underscored the growing geopolitical and economic relevance of the Middle Corridor and Azerbaijan’s evolving role as a pivotal actor in shaping Eurasian connectivity.
