Tashkent:<Text>
The Gulf Research Center (GRC), in collaboration with the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (ISRS), convened the Gulf-Central Asia Think Tank online forum. The forum was dedicated to the theme ‘Strengthening Gulf-Central Asia Cooperation in a Shifting Regional Order’ and featured welcoming remarks by Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Founder and Chairman of the GRC, and Dr. Eldor Aripov, Director of the ISRS.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, during the panel discussions, Farid Shafiyev, Chairman of the Board at the AIR Center, emphasized Azerbaijan’s pivotal role as a connector between Central Asia, Europe, and other global markets. Shafiyev highlighted the increasing demand for overland transport corridors due to instability in the Middle East and the evolving situation in the Strait of Hormuz. He underscored the important role of the C6 countries in facilitating these transport networks.
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>Shafiyev pointed out that Azerbaijan’s admission to the Consultative Meeting of Central Asian Heads of State significantly bolsters the country’s role in regional architecture and opens up new avenues for structured cooperation. He noted that initiatives such as the ‘Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity’ (TRIPP), also known as the Zangezur Corridor, could further enhance the resilience and diversification of East-West connectivity.
He further stated, “Connectivity remains a central pillar of the C6 agenda, including infrastructure, digitalization, and the removal of bottlenecks. Central Asia and Azerbaijan already constitute ‘a single geopolitical and geo-economic region,’ as noted by Ilham Aliyev. This statement captures an emerging logistical and economic reality in addition to a political vision.”
The forum’s first panel session examined the evolving security environment in the Gulf and Central Asia amid rising geopolitical competition and regional conf
licts, addressing shared risks like conflict spillover, non-state actors, and transnational threats. The second panel, titled ‘Trade, Energy, and Transport Corridors,’ explored how the Gulf and Central Asia can leverage their strategic geography to deepen economic interdependence.
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