Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia agreed Monday to expand transport and energy links across the South Caucasus, putting the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the Middle Corridor, a trade route connecting Asia and Europe through the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, at the center of a declaration signed by their foreign ministers in İstanbul.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hosted Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Georgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili for the 10th meeting under a trilateral format launched in 2012.
The İstanbul declaration reaffirmed support for the sovereignty and internationally recognized borders of all three countries and called for the restoration of Georgia’s territorial integrity.
The reference concerns Abkhazia and South Ossetia, two breakaway regions outside the Georgian government’s control where Russia maintains troops. Most countries recognize both regions as part of Georgia.
The ministers agreed to deepen cooperation on rail, road and air connections, renewable energy, green energy transmission, trade and investment.
They described the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Southern Gas Corridor, which carry energy from Azerbaijan through Georgia and Turkey, as important to regional and European energy security.
The declaration welcomed the completion of modernization work on the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, marked at a June 2 ceremony at Akhalkalaki International Railway Station in Georgia.
The railway is a central section of the Middle Corridor.
At a joint news conference Botchorishvili said fuller use of the railway would increase trade and support economic growth, while Bayramov said the three countries’ cooperation had helped maintain transport and energy flows despite conflicts and supply chain disruptions in nearby regions.
Fidan also expressed support for the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, saying Turkey hoped the two South Caucasus neighbors would sign an agreement without delay.
He said Ankara had made progress in its separate normalization talks with Armenia and was continuing the dialogue in coordination with Azerbaijan.
The ministers agreed to hold their next trilateral meeting in Georgia in 2027.