Turkish minister: Zangezur Corridor to boost transit trade and regional integration

The opening of the Zangezur corridor in Azerbaijan is expected to facilitate the integration of services across the Turkic world and revive the Middle Corridor, stretching from the Far East to Europe, thereby strengthening transit trade, Turkish Minister of Customs and Trade Omer Bolat said.

Speaking at the event “Bridge of Economic and Cultural Relations between Azerbaijan and Türkiye” held in Ankara, Bolat highlighted Azerbaijan’s strategic importance as a transit hub, providing Türkiye with access to Central Asia and the Far East, Caliber.Az reports via Turkish press.

“During my tenure, trade between our countries has increased annually,” Bolat said. “At the end of the first eight months of this year, our trade volume has increased. Investments are particularly important.”

The minister underscored that Türkiye’s largest global investments, in terms of both the number of businesspeople and companies, are in Azerbaijan. “Our largest investments, amounting to $17 billion, are also in Azerbaijan. About 3,000 Azerbaijani companies operate in Türkiye,” he added.

Bolat’s comments come in the wake of significant diplomatic developments at the Washington summit hosted by former US President Donald Trump, where Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint declaration outlining a seven-point framework. The document emphasises respect for sovereignty, recognition of territorial integrity, and the renunciation of the use of force.

In addition, the foreign ministers of both countries initialled a draft “Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Inter-State Relations” in the presence of Trump, Aliyev, and Pashinyan.

A key component of the framework is the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP), commonly referred to as the Zangezur Corridor. This planned transit route, passing through southern Armenia, is designed to connect Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave, carrying both strategic and economic significance for the wider region.

By Tamilla Hasanova