By Agha Iqrar Haroon
Chinese President Xi announced the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as the “Silk Road Economic Belt” on 7 September 2013 at Nazarbayev University in Astana, Kazakhstan. Since then, 151 countries are directly or indirectly linked with this initiative, including Azerbaijan, which enjoys an exceptionally important strategic and geopolitical positioning, linking Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasian region, and then to South Asia. It shares land borders with Russia (to the north), Georgia (to the northwest), Armenia (to the west), Iran (to the south), and Turkey (via the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan) (to the west) and the Caspian Sea to the east. One can say that with the active cooperation of Azerbaijan, the Global South is strongly linked.
In the meeting held with participants of the 3rd Shusha Global Media Forum, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev explained the importance of physical connectivity of countries, indicating it is a prerequisite for taking maximum advantage of diplomatic relations.
Interacting for three hours with 140 guests from 52 countries, representing 30 news agencies and 80 media entities, President Ilham Aliyev also explained the strategic importance of the Zangezur corridor as it will connect many countries in the future. He explained in detail that the Zangezur corridor will be an international transit corridor via railway or motorway. It is not only about connecting the main part of Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, but also a corridor linking nations and increasing global trade.
During his interaction with international guests, President Ilham emphasized Azerbaijan’s strategic role in global connectivity, supported by a $25 million investment in the Caspian Sea port and a new railway to Türkiye, boosting transit trade by 15% annually since 2020. His focus on the Zangezur corridor aims to connect Azerbaijan with Iran and Turkey, potentially reducing cargo transit times by 30% compared to existing routes, though Armenia’s reluctance has stalled progress, as noted in a 2024 Carnegie Endowment report.
His leadership narrative ties post-Karabakh conflict stability to economic growth, as Azerbaijan’s GDP growth rate rose to over 5% after the 2020 conflict resolution, challenging Western critiques of authoritarian governance (indicated by the 2023 IMF study).
Azerbaijan is heavily investing in transport and logistical infrastructure; billions of dollars have been invested, and the largest international trade port on the Caspian Sea has been built, with a handling capacity of 25 million tons. A railway has been built connecting Azerbaijan with Türkiye through Georgia. The volume of transit transportation through the territory of Azerbaijan is increasing as a result of the fact that there is modern infrastructure. There is also a process of digitalization, and customs administration is being simplified.
The President Ilham Aliyev believed this initiative is (was) strategically significant because geopolitical changes in the region, when other transit routes are becoming more problematic. Azerbaijan is almost completing the construction of the railway to the junction of its border with Armenia and Iran, and, probably, in less than a year, maybe even in the spring of next year, the Azerbaijani section of this railway will be completed. The Railway connects Azerbaijan through Armenia (historically this section was owned by Azerbaijan and the property of Azerbaijan) with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, and then it goes to the territory of Iran with access to the Persian Gulf. With the implementation of the Zangezur corridor, Azerbaijan is opening another direction of the North-South corridor: from Russia through Azerbaijan, Iran to Rasht, but also through East Zangezur and other parts of the Zangezur region to Iran, and then to Türkiye. Therefore, huge prospects are opening up for increasing the flow of cargo in the region through Azerbaijan. It is pertinent to mention that cargo transportation from China through Azerbaijan is growing rapidly, while the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan railway is under construction to access the Caspian Sea.
“Large flows are already going and will go in our direction. Therefore, we must be ready not only to receive and process cargo in the port of Baku, but also to send it along the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway through Georgia to Türkiye and further to Mediterranean ports and through Zangezur, which will also be a major transport route. But, unfortunately, no work has been done on the Armenian side in the last five years, as this issue is deliberately removed from the agenda. But under such circumstances, the chances for Armenia to ever become a transit country are close to zero. If they continue to block this process, I think that they will find themselves not only in transport isolation, which they already are in today, but also in political isolation to a certain extent”, commented President Ilham Aliyev.
He believes that corridors or railroads are not just about transit and transit fees; rather, the most important thing is to build capacity along the route to attract foreign investments in sectors that can generate growth in the coming years.
President Ilham Aliyev stated that the prerequisites for a transit trade hub are stability and security, and Azerbaijan has achieved this stability after the resolution of the Karabakh conflict.
“I think the prospects for stability, security, and development are broader than ever before. So, this is a major factor for the promotion of connectivity. The second important factor is good relations with your neighbors. Because without that, you cannot become a transit country. And you must have good relations not only with your neighbors but also with the neighbors of your neighbors. For that, you need very proactive diplomacy and a good image as a reliable partner. What we have tried to do over the last decades is to build confidence that this country (Azerbaijan) is a reliable partner, and that our word has the same value as our signature”, commented President Ilham Aliyev.
Talking about his relations with China, President Ilham Aliyev mentioned that Azerbaijan supported and continues to support the position of the People’s Republic of China on Taiwan and on other issues, and both countries are collaborating to increase the volume of trade. Container trains are already traveling from many cities in China to Azerbaijan and through Azerbaijan to the West. He stated that from the very beginning, he supported Chairman Xi Jinping’s One Belt, One Road initiative and prepared the corresponding transport and logistics infrastructure with Azerbaijan.
Responding to a question to explain factors behind the instant infrastructure developments that are taking place in Azerbaijan, pro-active diplomacy that Baku is showing, and transit and corridor expansion that Azerbaijan is planning, President Ilham Aliyev said that Baku’s foreign policy direction had not changed, but the form had changed.
“The reason is that now, with the Karabakh conflict behind Azerbaijan, Baku has more time to focus on areas it previously could not. The resolution of the conflict, the endless negotiations, the useless visits of the Minsk Group troika — all of that took a lot of time and effort from Baku in the past,” added President Ilham Aliyev.
“We didn’t have time, and didn’t even have the potential, to focus on other matters. All our foreign policy was aimed at the restoration of our territorial integrity. Now that it is accomplished, we have become much more active on the international stage. We have truly become an active member of the international community. With strong links to various international actors, we can — and will — play a much more important role, at least in the broader region. When I say “broader region,” I mean the South Caucasus, the Middle East, Central Asia, and all that lies in close proximity to Azerbaijan. Also, in Europe, because our agenda with the European Union is currently undergoing what I would call a reset. We also experienced difficult times with the previous European Commission,” commented President Ilham Aliyev.
The takeaways from President Ilham Aliyev’s interaction are many, but for me most important are summarized as:
Azerbaijan is heavily investing in transport and logistical infrastructure, with billions of USD invested in the country’s largest international trade port on the Caspian Sea and a railway connecting Azerbaijan with Türkiye through Georgia. The volume of transit transportation through Azerbaijan is increasing due to modern infrastructure and digitalization. The Zangezur corridor opens another direction of the North-South corridor, connecting Russia, Iran, Rasht, East Zangezur, and other parts of the Zangezur region to Iran and Turkey.
President Aliyev believes that corridors or railroads are not just about transit fees but also about building capacity along the route to attract foreign investments in sectors that can generate growth in the coming years. He stated that the prerequisites for a transit trade hub are stability and security, which Azerbaijan has achieved after the resolution of the Karabakh conflict.
The leadership of President Ilham Aliyev has achieved what could be just a dream for any country in the developing world. He is focused on constructing not only his country in physical form but also a strong nation that would surely play a pivotal role future.
There is a saying that “Nations are built by leaders, not through money only”. This phrase represents the rising nation of Azerbaijan.
The 21st century can be considered as a Century of “corridors and physical connectivity,” and a country that is at the crossroads of several civilizations or regions must act responsibly and maturely, such as Azerbaijan, to get the benefit of proximity and geopolitical position.
