Azerbaijan seeks China-Central Asia route via Caspian Sea, official says

Azerbaijan wants the new China-Central Asia route to be extended to the country via the Caspian Sea, Farid Shafiyev, Chairman of the Board of the Centre of Analysis of International Relations and Multiculturalism, has said.

Speaking at the 2nd International Conference of Leading National Analytical Centres of the Organisation of Turkic States in Baku, he noted that Azerbaijan supports extending the new route through Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

In his words, there are now two important developments that could expand regional connectivity.

One is TRACECA, or the Zangazur Corridor, which he said would become an additional branch of the Middle Corridor once completed.

According to Shafiyev, the route is important not only from a transportation perspective but also for the normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

He also highlighted a new route developing between China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

"We would like to see this new branch extended from Turkmenistan across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan," Shafiyev added.

He further stressed that there have been discussions about routing the new connection through Iran and other directions, but said geopolitical conditions remain unstable.

"For this reason, we believe that the most stable route politically and economically would be the one passing through the Caspian Sea," he remarked.

The traditional Middle Corridor runs through China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov