First day of 13th meeting of CICA Think Tank Forum concluded

Co-organized by the Center for Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center) and the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS), the first day of the 13th meeting of the CICA Think Tank Forum, themed “Resonance of Development and Security: Regional Cooperation and Governance in the Institutional Transformation of CICA,” concluded in Baku.

The final session was dedicated to the topic “Strengthening Eurasian Integration: The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Middle Corridor, the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), and other initiatives.”

Addressing the session, Farid Shafiyev, Chairman of the Board of the Center for Analysis of International Relations, highlighted the importance of the Silk Road, saying that the road served as both a trade and cultural route. “Numerous cultural monuments and archaeological discoveries along the routes provide evidence of it,” he emphasized.

Highlighting the potential of the Zangezur Corridor, Farid Shafiyev recalled the agreement reached in Washington, stating that this route would make a significant contribution to the trade relations of many countries.

"The Zangezur Corridor will be a reconciliation project between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The demand for the Middle Corridor is increasing. Our main goal is to add value to these routes," he added.

Turhan Dilmaç, Head of the Department at the Strategic Research Center of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described the Middle Corridor as a manifestation of comprehensive development, portraying it as a multimodal transportation network connecting Asia with Europe.

In his remarks, Morteza Damanpak Jami, a senior fellow researcher at the Iranian Institute of Political and International Studies, highlighted the current global shift, with China, India, and other Asian nations emerging as key economic players and shaping global trade and supply chains.

Other key speakers emphasized the pervasive impact of rapid digital technology development, highlighting how digital transformation is fundamentally reshaping economies, politics, security, and social life globally and regionally.

The meeting continued with discussions.