Azerbaijani FM: Zangazur corridor essential for development of regional countries’ ties

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov took part in the 26th meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on January 24.

During the meeting, Bayramov outlined the priorities and plans of Azerbaijan in the framework of chairmanship in the ECO for 2023, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

According to him, Azerbaijan's chairmanship under the motto "Green Transition and Connections" will be important for the promotion of the organisation's strategy and programmes as well as the vision of ECO-2025.

Several high-level meetings will be held during Azerbaijan’s chairmanship in 2023 in the fields of economy, energy, transport, customs, operation of border checkpoints, justice, tourism and health.

The participants were informed of the importance of transport routes through Central Asia and the South Caucasus and the work done by Azerbaijan to develop regional transport and transit corridors. In addition, it was noted that tripartite platforms have been created jointly with Türkiye, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan to develop cooperation in these directions.

The adoption of the Baku Declaration at the Azerbaijan-Türkiye-Kazakhstan meeting last June in Baku and the decisions taken in this regard on the development of the East-West Trans-Caspian corridor were highlighted.

The minister stated the importance of measures taken to create a transport corridor from the East-Zangazur economic region to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. He stressed that the Zangezur corridor will be of particular importance for the development of cooperation between all countries in the region.

In addition, detailed information was provided on the work carried out by Azerbaijan in the field of energy security, the development of "green energy" under the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Azerbaijan and the European Union last July, as well as the project of laying an energy cable across the Black Sea between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary.

Bayramov noted that within the framework of the Chairmanship, arrangements will be made for the opening of the Clean Energy Centre of the Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the ECO Economic Research Centre, as well as for the nomination of Shushi as the ECO tourism capital in 2026.

The Ministerial Council meeting resulted in the adoption of several documents on the future directions of the ECO. The final Tashkent Communiqué endorsed the work carried out in line with the trilateral statements of the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia, measures to establish transport and communication links between the East Zangazur economic region and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

The memorandum supports the normalisation of inter-state relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia based on mutual recognition and respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, which is said to contribute to the establishment of good neighbourly relations, sustainable peace and economic progress in the region.

As part of his visit, Bayramov will hold a series of bilateral meetings.