Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 22 August 2025, a trilateral summit was held in the Avaza Tourism Zone of Turkmenistan with the participation of the leaders of Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan. The summit was convened at the invitation of the National Leader of the Turkmen People and Chairman of the People’s Council of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, with the attendance of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

At the summit, the leaders of the fraternal countries addressed multifaceted cooperation in areas such as trade, economy, transportation, communications, energy, and humanitarian assistance. From the perspective of the summit’s agenda, discussions primarily focused on infrastructure projects and cooperation protocols regarding the planned opening of the Zangezur Corridor (recently renamed the “Trump Corridor”) following the peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Within this framework, agreements were signed between the ministries of transport of the three countries to enhance cooperation in logistics and transportation. In addition, a memorandum of understanding on the development of air transport between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan was signed, as well as agreements on shipbuilding and civil aviation between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Confidence was expressed that a sustainable and efficient transcontinental route linking China with South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe would be established, while it was announced that construction of the China–Uzbekistan railway had begun. The Azerbaijani side emphasized that new cargo flows would aim to maximize the effective use of existing infrastructure in Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. In this context, particular attention was given to increasing the capacity of the Turkmenbashi and Baku ports, establishing modern logistics infrastructure, implementing coordinated tariff policies, digitizing procedures, and ensuring cargo control. The Uzbek side declared its readiness to reduce freight tariffs reciprocally in order to enable businesses to reach key markets in the shortest and most advantageous way. Moreover, Uzbekistan expressed its intention to enhance ferry capacity for cargo transportation across the Caspian Sea.

In the context of energy security, the need to deepen cooperation and to develop corridors for the export of energy resources to third countries was highlighted. In this regard, projects related to the supply of “green energy” to Europe were considered promising. Concerning traditional energy resources, it was proposed to explore cooperation opportunities in geological research and development in the Caspian basin.

The expansion of trade volume was also one of the priority issues of the summit. It was stated that in recent years, the mutual trade volume among Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan had doubled, with industrial goods accounting for 40 percent of this volume. This has been presented as the best example of the growing trade among the fraternal countries after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

From a regional perspective, both the European Union (EU) and China have recently held consecutive summits with the Central Asian states. China hosted the first China–Central Asia Summit in Xi’an on May 18–19, 2023, in the “C+C5” format, followed by the second summit held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, in 2025. Similarly, the first EU–Central Asia Summit was convened in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on April 4, 2025, with the participation of the five Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan). These meetings also placed special emphasis on transportation and logistics.

The conclusions of the EU–Central Asia Summit may be summarized as follows: “The modern Silk Road route, stretching from China through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan to the European Union, carries strategic importance. By developing transport and logistics infrastructure, this route not only increases regional trade volume but also strengthens economic integration across Eurasia. While the Central Asian states emerge as transit hubs in this process, the flow of goods and energy between Europe and Asia is ensured in a safer and faster manner.”

In light of these summits and, most recently, the Turkmenistan–Azerbaijan–Uzbekistan Summit, it is evident that China, the United States, the EU, Turkey, and the Central Asian states are engaged in intensive preparations for the New Silk Road project extending from China to Europe. Within this framework, the Turkic states are formulating regional roadmaps among themselves and, at times, coming together with the EU, China, and Turkey to assess both these roadmaps and the progress made. The United States, by naming the Zangezur Corridor the “Trump Corridor,” appears to have entered the project, with Armenia also participating under U.S. guarantees. Looking ahead, the most critical question concerns the stance and strategic steps to be taken by Russia and Iran.

From the perspective of the Turkic states, the New Silk Road emerges as a model for regional development. In particular, the establishment of lasting peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia would eliminate the long-standing obstacles posed by land and railway dependency, which has hindered the region’s integration with the world. Moreover, it is observed that the Turkic states, under the framework of the Organization of Turkic States, have begun to overcome Soviet-era legacies through peaceful means, and that relations among them, based on fraternal bonds, have gained a rapid positive momentum.

Indeed, during his official visit to Kyrgyzstan on August 22, 2025, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed several cooperation agreements across various fields. Furthermore, it was announced that the mutual trade volume between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan is targeted to reach three billion USD by 2030. In the course of this visit, President Tokayev conferred Kazakhstan’s highest state award, the Golden Eagle Order, upon Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov.

As observed, while the Turkic states continue to resolve Soviet-era issues through peaceful approaches, trade relations are also strengthening. This development facilitates the economic integration of Central Asia—more precisely, Turkistan—into the global economy and enables it to emerge as an influential actor in international trade strategies.

Ahmet Sağlam