Geopolitical shift: The South Caucasus in a changing era Expert opinions on Caliber.Az

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's visit to Georgia was marked by several notable moments. In particular, the Armenian leader thanked Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and the Georgian people for their consistent support of the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

According to Armenian media, Nikol Pashinyan stated at a press conference following his meeting with Irakli Kobakhidze that he “would like to once again thank Prime Minister Kobakhidze for his support of the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan throughout this entire period.”

“I also wish to express my gratitude to the Georgian state and people for their continued support. That support continues, and we see it. You know that economic ties between Armenia and Azerbaijan are being established with Georgia’s support, and this is highly appreciated and valued by us,” he said.

What do experts from the countries of the South Caucasus and the broader neighboring region think about Pashinyan’s statement? A Georgian international affairs expert and a Kyrgyz political scientist and orientalist shared their views on this topic with Caliber.Az.

International relations expert and Candidate of Political Sciences, Teimuraz Garishvili expressed confidence that truly unique geopolitical times have arrived in the South Caucasus, thanks to which the region is entering a completely new era of change, dialogue, and cooperation.

“Can this period be called historic? Perhaps yes, because we now find ourselves in a new reality where Georgia is taking on an entirely new mission — not merely serving as a venue, as it did until recently, for another round of negotiations between Baku and Yerevan, but actively contributing to the practical goals of the two countries. This includes, in particular, providing its railways for the transportation of Azerbaijani cargo to Armenia.

Undoubtedly, all the peoples of our region have long been moving in this direction, and Georgia, as Nikol Pashinyan emphasized, has made its contribution to supporting and developing the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, since in Tbilisi it has always been well understood that the full development of the region requires the restoration not only of diplomatic and economic ties among all neighbors, but also an atmosphere of friendship, mutual understanding, and trust.

Now Baku, Yerevan, and Tbilisi can, without any obstacles, begin a trilateral dialogue and discuss issues that until quite recently seemed impossible, almost fantastical. Of course, many questions still remain, including the level of trust between Azerbaijani and Armenian societies, but all of these are now solvable problems. The Rubicon in relations has been crossed, and I believe that very soon the three countries will come together for a full-fledged trilateral dialogue,” Garishvili stated.

At the same time, Kyrgyz political scientist and orientalist Umar Mutaliev noted that Central Asia is watching the developments in the South Caucasus with great optimism.

“The upcoming launch of the Zangezur Corridor opens significant opportunities for international trade and the development of transport transit. At the same time, the Middle Corridor itself, along with all efforts to enhance its functionality within the broader network connecting our regions, carries tremendous importance.

Moreover, the rapid restoration of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia aligns successfully with the cooperation processes occurring between our regions outside the sphere of transport communications. This includes, for example, the C6 format, which establishes a dialogue between Baku and the Central Asian countries, covering a wide range of areas: from diplomacy and economy to tourism and culture.

I believe that these parallel processes contribute to the creation of a unique space around the Middle Corridor, where groups of countries on both sides of the Caspian Sea will actively establish an entirely new level of connections and partnerships.

At the foundation of this prosperous and stable future, without a doubt, lies the friendship and mutual understanding among the Turkic states. Still, much remains to be done for the countries of the two regions to develop harmoniously, regardless of international financial and economic conditions, or at least to be able to navigate and balance skillfully under such circumstances,” concluded Mutaliev.