From Middle Corridor to CPEC: Azerbaijan’s growing role in Eurasian connectivity Article by Pakistani media

An article published by Daily Lead Pakistan highlighted that the expansion of the Central Asian consultative mechanism to include Azerbaijan as a full-fledged member has paved the way for a powerful economic and strategic bloc linking China, Central Asia, the Caspian region and Europe.

Speaking at a briefing at the Embassy of Kyrgyzstan in Pakistan, Chargé d’Affaires Aibek Tilebaliev said the informal consultative meeting of the heads of state of Central Asia and Azerbaijan, held in Cholpon-Ata on July 31, marked a “historic turning point” in regional geopolitics, Caliber.Az reports.

According to him, Baku’s participation as a full-fledged member transformed the Central Asian platform into a broader mechanism connecting the region with the Caspian Sea and the South Caucasus.

Tilebaliev emphasised that the consultative meetings between Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were initially aimed at strengthening regional cooperation, peace and stability. He added that the recent meeting reflected a new level of mutual trust and regional integration.

The Kyrgyz diplomat noted that Central Asian countries have also developed C5+1 dialogue mechanisms with key global partners, including China, Russia, the United States, the European Union, Japan, South Korea and Italy.

Tilebaliev stressed that developing connectivity and cooperation in the energy sector were among the key outcomes of the Cholpon-Ata meeting. He highlighted the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway (CKU) and the Kambarata-1 hydropower project as major initiatives capable of transforming regional connectivity and economic cooperation.

The diplomat noted that the railway, together with the Middle Corridor and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), could ultimately form a multimodal Eurasian transport network, reducing transit times, facilitating trade and attracting investment. According to him, Pakistan, located at the crossroads of South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East, could derive “significant dividends” from the emerging Trans-Caspian transport infrastructure.

Tilebaliev noted that the heads of state concluded the meeting by signing the Cholpon-Ata Declaration and expressed their full readiness to contribute to the successful holding of the next consultative meeting in Turkmenistan on October 8. During the summit, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan signed a treaty on allied relations, while Baku and Bishkek reached similar agreements that elevated their ties to the highest level of strategic cooperation.

Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan also signed a number of documents, while the presidents of the two countries exchanged the highest state awards. Tilebaliev said these developments demonstrate that Kyrgyzstan is simultaneously deepening cooperation with its closest neighbours and expanding economic and strategic ties toward the Caspian Sea and the South Caucasus.

The Kyrgyz diplomat added that the Cholpon-Ata meeting laid the foundations for a more integrated regional economic space stretching from China’s western borders to Europe, with Pakistan potentially becoming an important partner and beneficiary of the emerging connectivity architecture.