To the participants of the 6th Caspian Business Forum: “Connectivity, Finance, and Energy along the Middle Corridor”

Dear event participants!

I warmly welcome you to the 6th Caspian Business Forum, held under the theme “Connectivity, Finance, and Energy along the Middle Corridor”, organized by the Caspian Policy Center.

The Middle Corridor is a strategic project spanning a vast geography. It provides a reliable and secure route connecting Europe and Asia through the Caspian Sea, serving as the shortest and most efficient pathway for cargo transportation from Asia to Europe and back.

Azerbaijan’s favorable geographic location - right at the crossroads of two continents - enables our country to play a pivotal role in connectivity issues. Today, we can proudly say that, thanks to Azerbaijan’s long-term vision and tireless efforts, a major project like the Middle Corridor, which provides better synergy between Asia and Europe, has become a reality. Full commissioning of the Middle Corridor has been made possible not only by Azerbaijan’s economic potential but also by the political stability and security factor that prevail in our country.

We have made significant investments in transport infrastructure along the Middle Corridor, particularly in seaport, shipyard, railways, and other logistics infrastructure. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, Baku International Sea Trade Port, and the Caspian cargo fleet all form essential transport infrastructure that ensures the smooth functioning of the Middle Corridor. In the Azerbaijani segment of the Middle Corridor, work is underway to upgrade, digitize, and modernize infrastructure, as well as to expand its transit capacity.

Over the past three years, cargo shipments along the Middle Corridor through Azerbaijan have grown by approximately 90 percent, while transit times have been significantly shortened. Projections indicate that by 2030, the freight capacity of the Middle Corridor will triple compared to 2021, with transit times expected to be cut in half.

On August 8 of this year, a Joint Declaration signed between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Washington, witnessed by U.S. President Mr. Donald Trump, established the foundation for the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP), which will ensure uninterrupted connectivity between the main territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

I am sure that TRIPP, to become the next crucial segment of the Middle Corridor, will serve as a key transport link connecting Asia and Europe, expanding the transit capacity for international cargo shipments, and contributing to the prosperity of regional countries as well as their integration into global supply chains. TRIPP also offers significant potential for the future transportation of energy resources, the export of electricity - particularly renewable energy - and the installation of fiber-optic lines, thereby helping transform the region into an international hub for trade and digital communications. Azerbaijan has mobilized all its efforts to ensure the prompt realization of this route.

We view the Middle Corridor as a powerful catalyst for regional economic growth and integration, recognizing it as a key driver that promotes the development of infrastructure, industry, and business, while fostering stability and prosperity across the region.

I am confident that today’s event will cultivate a fruitful exchange of ideas and the advancement of new initiatives centered on the Middle Corridor and the opportunities it presents, supporting deeper regional and global integration.

I extend my best wishes and wish this conference every success.

Ilham Aliyev

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Baku, 22 September 2025