Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev is pushing for the creation of a Turkic trade corridor that connects Central Asia’s resource riches to Western markets. In Aliyev’s view, Turkic states should work in 2026 not only to increase coordination on connectivity and trade but also start building a robust defense and security component.
Aliyev outlined his vision during an expansive news conference on January 5, where he designated the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) as the corridor’s foundation. He noted that the first step in the establishment of the corridor had already been taken in December, when the five leaders of Central Asian states formally anointed Azerbaijan as a member of their annual council, transforming what had been known as the C5 into the C6.
Calling it “a great political and diplomatic success,” Aliyev said the emergence of “a Central Asian-Azerbaijani union … completely changes the geopolitical situation in the region.”
Aliyev went on to cast Azerbaijan as the lynchpin of a Turkic corridor, asserting that Baku is “the only reliable country that can geographically connect Central Asia with the West today,” and adding that Baku can also facilitate north-south trade. He contended that other potential outlets for Central Asian trade with the West, trade routes that would have to traverse Afghanistan to connect to ports either in Iran or Pakistan, aren’t expected to be viable for the foreseeable future.
To buttress his argument, Aliyev cited ambitious trans-Caspian infrastructure projects, including a power line to transmit electricity generated from renewable sources in Central Asia westward to the European Union. He also said that Azerbaijan and other CaspianBasin states were racing to ensure that infrastructure development keeps pace with the rapid increase in EU-bound trade.
“We had thought that the infrastructure we were creating would be sufficient for us for many years, but we see that it is not,” he said.
A key piece of yet-to-be-built infrastructure in Aliyev’s envisioned Turkic corridor sits outside the territory of OTS member states, a 42-kilometer conduit across Armenian territory, known as the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). Work has barely started on TRIPP, which was the centerpiece of a provisional peace deal agreed upon last August by Armenia and Azerbaijan. Aliyev during his news conference sounded confident that substantive work would begin soon, calling the corridor’s construction a “resolved issue.”
“News coming from Armenia also suggests that the physical construction of this road is planned for this year,” he added.
The OTS, which came into existence in 2009, has to date focused on fostering closer cultural and economic ties among participating states, which, in addition to Azerbaijan, include Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Hungary and the internationally unrecognized entity of Turkish Northern Cyprus.
Aliyev announced an intention to inject a defense/security element into the group in 2026, offering to host joint military exercises.
He hinted that international actions, such as Russia’s failed blitz on Ukraine and the US power play in Venezuela, had permanently altered the post-World War II order, returning the world to a ‘might-makes-right,’ balance-of-power existence. Azerbaijan and its Turkic allies now need to be ready to defend their economic and political interests, he argued.
“There is no such thing as international law in today’s world,” he asserted. “Everyone should forget about that. There is strength, there is cooperation, there is alliance, there is mutual support.”
“It would be good if Turkic states … began to cooperate in this direction,” he added. “We are now simply cooperating in the energy sector, in the transport sector, in trade, in investment, and indeed in many areas. Why not cooperate in this area [defense/security] as well? Considering that this is the number one issue for all countries today, my proposal is valid.”
Other OTS leaders have yet to directly respond to Aliyev’s initiative on security cooperation. But at a meeting last fall of OTS leaders, Kazak President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and other attendees signaled their interest in expanding the organization’s capacity.
“The current geopolitical situation in the world is extremely complex. Therefore, Turkic states need to act together in their common interests,” Tokayev said.
By Eurasianet
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