The foreign ministers from Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Georgia will convene for a trilateral meeting in Istanbul to bolster their regional economic partnership by intensifying cooperation across transportation, connectivity and energy projects, diplomatic sources have informed.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will host Azerbaijan’s Jeyhun Bayramov and Georgia’s Maka Botchorishvili at the 10th gathering of the trilateral mechanism on June 8, the sources announced.
They stressed that the meeting would have three main agenda items: Regional developments, foreign policy matters and cooperation in the South Caucasus; transportation, connectivity and strengthening regional transit networks; and energy security and deepening trade and economic cooperation.
According to the sources, Fidan will highlight the increased strategic importance of the South Caucasus at a moment when geopolitical uncertainty, economic volatility and security challenges are escalating.
In this frame, Fidan will highlight the importance of the trilateral mechanism as a platform that promotes stability and prosperity in the region while emphasizing that Türkiye’s strong engagement with Georgia and Azerbaijan has hugely contributed to regional stability and economic integration.
He will also mention the vital importance of running the Middle Corridor as a leading connectivity project between Europe and Asia in the light of recent global shifts in supply chains, concerns over energy security and changing geoeconomic dynamics.
To this end, Fidan will reiterate the need to strengthen transportation infrastructure, particularly the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and develop other logistical networks. The three countries have already taken part in important strategic projects, such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, and this infrastructure has not only contributed to these nations but to a wider region’s energy security, Fidan will recall.
The Turkish top diplomat will also underline the establishment of lasting peace, stability and normalization as strategically vital for strengthening regional prosperity.
