The tectonic plates of global trade and geopolitics are shifting, demanding that regional cooperative structures evolve to match new strategic realities. In Eurasia, a crucial transformation is underway, one that sees the traditional C5+1 framework, designed historically to engage the five Central Asian republics with external powers, morphing into a more robust and integrated structure: the C6.

This evolution is neither arbitrary nor merely arithmetic; it is the formal institutionalisation of an economic and geographic necessity. Azerbaijan, situated as the indispensable western gateway on the Caspian Sea, has successfully leveraged its strategic position and advanced multilateral diplomacy to become the linchpin of Eurasian connectivity. The inclusion of Azerbaijan completes a continuous geopolitical and economic chain, fundamentally strengthening the entire region's capacity to achieve sustainable development goals and enhance global supply chain resilience under the Belt and Road Initiative framework.

The political validation of this enhanced architecture was underscored at the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia in Tashkent in November 2025. Addressing the leaders, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan cemented Baku's relationship with its Turkic and Central Asian brethren, affirming that these ties have transcended mere historical "brotherhood, friendship, and solidarity" to achieve a relationship characterised by a high-level "strategic partnership."

The sheer volume of high-level diplomatic traffic proves this point: over the preceding three years, President Aliyev made 14 visits to Central Asian countries, while his counterparts visited Azerbaijan 23 times. This intense, active interaction formed the basis for President Aliyev's core geopolitical assertion: that despite its geographical location in the South Caucasus, the depth of integration means that“Central Asia and Azerbaijan today form a single geopolitical and geo-economic region, whose importance in the world is steadily growing.”

This strategic statecraft institutionalises Azerbaijan's role, providing a unified political umbrella necessary to support the largest infrastructure project linking Asia to Europe: the Middle Corridor.

The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), globally recognised as the Middle Corridor, is the defining feature of the C6's shared economic destiny. President Aliyev has repeatedly emphasised its strategic value, describing the corridor as the “shortest and most efficient pathway for cargo transportation from Asia to Europe and back.”

Azerbaijan's commitment to the corridor is backed by substantial investment and quantitative targets, transforming this historic route into a high-capacity modern artery:

• Explosive Growth: In a testament to its operational reliability, cargo shipments along the Middle Corridor through Azerbaijan have surged by approximately 90 per cent over the last three years.
• Capacity Targets: The nations involved are aggressively pursuing a plan to triple the freight capacity of the Middle Corridor by 2030 compared to 2021 levels. This ambition is substantiated by immediate throughput figures; by the close of 2025, Azerbaijan Railways anticipates handling a remarkable 400 block trains from Chinese suppliers, nearly doubling the volume seen just a year prior. Transit times are projected to be cut in half, fundamentally changing logistics cost-benefit analysis for global companies.
• The Zangezur Completion: The final infrastructural element necessary to fully realise the Middle Corridor's potential is the Zangezur Corridor. President Aliyev reported that the construction of the railway and highway components on Azerbaijani territory is “nearing completion.”

This new railway segment is projected to have a substantial initial throughput capacity of 15 million tons. Crucially, the corridor received vital regional endorsement in Tashkent, where the President of the Kyrgyz Republic publicly recognised the Zangezur route as a“logical and strategic continuation” of the new China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway. This regional buy-in elevates the Zangezur Corridor from a contested bilateral issue to a multilateral geo-economic necessity.

The success of the C6 platform hinges on the secure, efficient, and sustained operation of this corridor, making Azerbaijan's diplomatic stability and infrastructural investment an indispensable regional public good.

Multilateral Mastery: The COP29 Diplomatic Triumph

Evidence of Azerbaijan's sophisticated multilateral diplomacy is best showcased by its successful hosting of the COP29 World Leaders Climate Action Summit in Baku in November 2024. Despite a highly charged geopolitical backdrop, the selection of Azerbaijan by a unanimous decision of nearly 200 countries validated its role as a global diplomatic facilitator.

President Aliyev strategically used the COP29 platform to project the nation's diplomatic identity as a“bridge,” capable of connecting not just East and West geographically, but also North and South politically. This commitment was instrumental in navigating complex global finance discussions. The conference achieved two significant milestones that had previously stalled, securing both an agreement on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) for climate finance and the long-awaited operational rules for carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Furthermore, serious progress was made on making the Loss and Damage Fund operational, positioning Azerbaijan as a crucial advocate for vulnerable nations of the Global South-a role it had cultivated during its four-year chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

The President's strategic vision is fundamentally redefining Azerbaijan's national identity, moving it beyond the reductive label of a "petrostate." In his addresses, President Aliyev asserted that a nation's performance should be measured not by its natural resource endowment but by its financial independence and social health.

He backed this assertion with compelling quantitative data, demonstrating a robust economy capable of funding multi-billion-dollar infrastructure and green energy projects autonomously:

• Financial Independence: Azerbaijan boasts a foreign debt ratio of only 7.5 per cent of GDP.
• Social Stability: Unemployment stands low at 5.4 per cent, and the poverty rate is a modest 5.2 per cent.
• This financial stability underpins the nation's ambitious pivot towards a green economy. While a significant global energy supplier, Azerbaijan is rapidly transforming its domestic energy profile:
• Green Ambition: The national goal is to install approximately six gigawatts (GW) of solar, wind, and hydro power stations by 2030. This is anchored by signed contracts and Memoranda of Understanding totaling 10 GW of renewable energy projects with major international partners.
• Future Capacity: The nation's technical potential is staggering, estimated at 157 GW of offshore wind energy. This capacity will soon be leveraged to export clean power to Europe via the planned Black Sea Caspian energy cable, which has a technical potential for exporting close to four GW of green energy.

Critically, the strategic deployment of these green initiatives, such as the solar plant agreement with bp in the Jabrayil district, links international climate investment directly to the post-conflict stabilisation and integration of recently restored territories. This integrated approach ensures that sustainable development is inextricably linked to the finality of national sovereignty, which President Aliyev stressed must be accompanied by peace-the ultimate prerequisite for sustainable development.

Azerbaijan's leadership role extends to the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), which it assumed chairmanship of in October 2025. Through this platform, President Aliyev prioritised ensuring the security of transport and communication lines as the fundamental guarantee for the economic development of all fraternal states. This commitment provides a necessary security mandate for the Middle and Zangezur Corridors, spreading the political and defensive burden across multiple regional allies.

Furthermore, the OTS platform has provided powerful institutional support for Baku's reconstruction efforts, highlighted by the symbolic groundbreaking ceremony for a mosque in Fuzuli, proposed by the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan. This collective action integrates the results of post-conflict recovery into the broader Turkic institutional framework.

The evolution of regional cooperation from C5+1 to the comprehensive C6 model-with Azerbaijan as its indispensable westward node-represents a crucial victory for pragmatic multilateralism and sustainable development in Eurasia. Under the resolute and forward-looking leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan is not merely a transit point, but a powerful diplomatic, economic, and institutional pivot state, ensuring a more integrated, resilient, and prosperous future for the entire region.

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About Author:

Qaiser Nawab is the Chairman of the Belt and Road Initiative for Sustainable Development (BRISD) and an international relations expert. He is also a student voice champion at the University of London and trains global youth leaders on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Mediation, aiming to advance peace and sustainable development.

The views and opinions expressed by guest columnists in their articles may differ from those of the editorial board and do not necessarily reflect its views.

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