On August 22, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, at the invitation of Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, arrived in Awaza to participate in the inaugural Azerbaijan–Uzbekistan–Turkmenistan summit. The meeting demonstrated the emergence of a new subregional mechanism of cooperation, through which the states of Central Asia and the South Caucasus are building their own frameworks of interaction without reliance on traditional external power centers. An important contextual factor is the Organization of Turkic States: Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are members, while Turkmenistan retains observer status, actively engaging in cultural and economic initiatives.
The summit’s core agenda centered on transport, logistics, and energy. The leaders underscored the need for harmonizing tariff and technical policies along the Middle Corridor, modernizing its Caspian segments with a focus on the ports of Turkmenbashi and Baku, and launching joint energy projects — ranging from offshore exploration to the export of green electricity. A key highlight was the initiative of Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to lower mutual tariffs and unify business conditions on the Middle Corridor. According to Tashkent’s official position, this would ensure the shortest access to key markets and create economies of scale for corridor projects. Uzbekistan also announced plans to expand its ferry capacities on the Caspian, paving the way for a unified tariff and technological regime in the future.
President Aliyev emphasized the strategic location of the three states “at the crossroads of East–West and North–South” and proposed institutionalizing the format by mandating preparation of concrete directions ahead of the next meeting. This decision carries practical implications: combining political mandate with ministerial-level technical tasks increases the likelihood of removing bottlenecks, such as upgrading ferry lines, Ro-Ro terminals, and digital cargo monitoring. The Turkmen side, represented by Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, stressed the pivotal role of the transport sector and the need to expand Caspian transit capacity in order to revive links along the “Great Silk Road.” As a practical asset, the Turkmenbashi Port was highlighted, with a capacity of 17–18 million tons per year, incorporating ferry, passenger, and container terminals.
The summit concluded with the signing of agreements in transport and logistics, shipbuilding, civil aviation, and between commodity exchanges. This laid the foundation for three cooperation tracks: renewal of fleet and repair facilities, harmonization of logistics rules on the Caspian, and unification of trade practices to lower transaction costs. The energy agenda included Uzbekistan’s initiative for trilateral cooperation in offshore field development and green energy exports to Europe. Turkmenistan, in turn, expressed readiness to deepen cooperation in the gas sector and power generation.
The technical base for implementation is already in place. The Port of Baku is capable of handling up to 15 million tons of cargo and about 100,000 TEU per year, with room for expansion, while Turkmenbashi Port has a capacity of up to 18 million tons. Key challenges remain in synchronizing schedules, expanding ferry services, and digitizing documentation. An additional risk is the decline of the Caspian Sea level, which necessitates large-scale dredging and fleet modernization.
From a political-geographic perspective, the summit consolidated the framework of the route: Baku and Turkmenbashi as the Caspian link, Uzbekistan as the logistics donor of cargo base, and the South Caucasus as the transit bridge to the Black Sea and Europe. For the European Union, the Middle Corridor represents an alternative to routes through Russia; for China, it forms part of the Belt and Road Initiative, enabling diversification of transit paths; for Russia, however, the new format reduces the space for its traditional transport and energy influence.
Ultimately, the Awaza summit marked a shift from broad declarations to the creation of a working integration platform. For Azerbaijan, it strengthens the status of a key transit hub; for Turkmenistan, it reaffirms its neutral role through active participation in logistics and energy; for Uzbekistan, it consolidates regional leadership and diversifies external economic ties.
