Azerbaijan's strategic position and reliability in the North-South International Transport Corridor and East-West International Transport Corridor make it the key player in strengthening cooperation and expanding relations between East and West.
The 18th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Forum was held on May 22-23 in the city of Dushanbe, Tajikistan, organized by the Center for Strategic Research under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan. Along with the SCO member countries, countries with the status of observer and dialogue partners, including Azerbaijan, were invited by the organizer to participate in the meeting.
Azerbaijan was represented at the forum by Mahir Humbatov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Economic Scientific Research Institute (ESRI) and Shukur Guliyev, Leading Research Fellow of Department of Quality Control and Planning.
The current situation and development prospects of the SCO in the new global reality were discussed during the event. The strategic directions of the SCO in a multipolar world, as well as its security policy and other important issues were deliberated in the face of both conventional and unconventional challenges and threats.
Mahir Humbatov spoke at the first session of the forum on the topic "The SCO in new global realities: the current situation and potential of the SCO family, opportunities for the development of the SCO". During his speech, he noted that Azerbaijan highly values the status of the SCO as a dialogue partner and believes in mutual respect, mutual prosperity and cooperation-based participation, which forms the basis of the SCO's mandate, as well as in compliance with the Charter of the United Nations. At this level, the participation of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan as a guest of honor at the SCO Summit held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on September 15-16, 2022 is a clear example of Azerbaijan's growing cooperation with the SCO and the importance given to our country.
Mr. Humbatov also emphasized Azerbaijan's strategic position in the North-South International Transport Corridor and the East-West International Transport Corridor. He noted that this significance turns Azerbaijan into a key player in strengthening cooperation and expanding relations between East and West. Azerbaijan has actively contributed to transportation and infrastructure projects, being among the first countries to support China's "Belt and Road" initiative. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the Baku International Sea Trade Port are vital initiatives shaping the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor for the transportation of goods from East to West. In general, Azerbaijan possesses the largest merchant fleet with 52 vessels in the Caspian Sea and one of the largest civil aviation cargo fleets in the region, consisting of 18 aircrafts.
