Expanding cross-border commerce and strengthening regional trade corridors topped the agenda in Baku on Tuesday (24 February), as senior lawmakers from Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Georgia met to discuss deeper economic integration across the South Caucasus.
The talks focused on boosting connectivity between the three countries, including the development of new land and rail links designed to accelerate trade flows between Asia and Europe. Enhancing political dialogue between the national assemblies and coordinating approaches to regional security were also high on the agenda.
Fuat Oktay, head of the Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee, travelled to the Azerbaijani capital to attend the trilateral meeting with his Azerbaijani and Georgian counterparts.
Addressing reporters after the talks, Oktay described Azerbaijan as a “second homeland” for Türkiye and said the South Caucasus was undergoing rapid political and economic transformation.
He pointed to the ongoing normalisation process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which gathered pace in summer 2025 when Baku and Yerevan initialled a U.S.-backed peace agreement after decades of strained relations. Since then, he said, the two sides have taken tangible steps towards reopening cross-border commerce.
“Oil trade is now taking place directly between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Oktay said, describing the development as a concrete sign of improving ties.
He added that the diplomatic breakthrough had also created momentum for what he called a parallel normalisation process between Türkiye and Armenia. Ankara has long maintained that progress in Türkiye–Armenia relations should advance in step with improved ties between Baku and Yerevan.
A key pillar of the emerging regional framework is a proposed land corridor linking mainland Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave - and onward to eastern Türkiye - via Armenia’s Syunik province.
The route, formally titled the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) and widely referred to as the Zangezur Corridor, is intended to stimulate trade and reinforce regional connectivity.
Oktay said Georgia would also play an important role in the broader connectivity architecture. He highlighted the strategic value of the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway as a central component of the so-called Middle Corridor, a transport route linking China with European markets.
“The agreed TRIPP project is significant for the entire region,” Oktay said. “I believe Georgia will also benefit from it.”
The military spokesperson for the M23 rebel movement, Willy Ngoma, was killed in an army drone strike in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo early on...
Iran is prepared to take any necessary steps to secure a deal with the United States, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said on Tuesday (24...
Expanding cross-border commerce and strengthening regional trade corridors topped the agenda in Baku on Tuesday (24 February), as senior lawmakers fro...
Ukraine signalled its readiness for fast-track European Union membership in Kyiv on Tuesday (24 February), as European leaders pledged continued polit...
The European Union has formally declared that Russia must withdraw its troops from occupied territories - including those inside Georgia - as part of ...
Comments by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee suggesting that Israel had a biblical right to much of the Middle East drew condemnation over the weekend from countries across the region, which described the remarks as “dangerous and inflammatory”.
Islamic State claimed two attacks on Syrian army personnel on Saturday (22 February), saying they marked the start of a new phase of operations against the country’s leadership under President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Türkiye has signalled readiness to contribute to a proposed Gaza stabilisation force during the inaugural Board of Peace meeting on Thursday (19 February), but according to former Turkish diplomat Mehmet Öğütçü, the decisive factor will be whether Israel and the United States agree on Ankara’s role.
Türkiye is prepared to contribute troops to a proposed international stabilisation force for Gaza, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday.
Italy said a fond farewell to the Winter Olympics on Sunday with an open-air ceremony in the ancient Verona Arena that celebrated art and sporting achievement at a Games lauded as a model for how to stage such events.
The United States and Iran will hold a new round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva on Thursday as part of renewed diplomatic efforts to reach a potential agreement, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi announced on Sunday.
Further Iran-U.S. nuclear talks are scheduled in Geneva on Thursday (26 February) as diplomacy resumes over Tehran’s nuclear programme following earlier mediation efforts. But will the talks move Iran-U.S. negotiations closer to a deal, and what should be expected from the meeting?
Mexican authorities said on Sunday that Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho and head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was killed during a military operation in the western state of Jalisco.
The European Parliament’s trade chief has urged a temporary suspension of the EU–U.S. trade agreement approval, citing “tariff chaos” following President Donald Trump’s new 15% tariffs and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidating his previous global tariff programme.
Iran is prepared to take any necessary steps to secure a deal with the United States, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said on Tuesday (24 February), as the two countries prepare for a new round of negotiations in Geneva.
The European Union has formally declared that Russia must withdraw its troops from occupied territories - including those inside Georgia - as part of the conditions for achieving lasting peace in Europe.
The Taliban in Kabul has rejected Russian claims that more than 23,000 militants from around 20 international terror groups are currently operating within Afghanistan.
Kazakhstan says it has allocated $2.2 million to strengthen scientific monitoring of the Caspian Sea amid growing concern over falling water levels, biodiversity loss and rising industrial pressure on the world’s largest inland body of water.
An Iranian military helicopter crashed in the city of Dorcheh, in Iran on Tuesday (24 February), causing the death of the pilot, co-pilot and two market sellers, state media reported.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment