SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan (caucasuswatch.de) — The opening of Armenia’s borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan after three decades of closure is set to transform connectivity across Eurasia, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during the inaugural EU-Central Asia Summit on April 3.
At the plenary session, von der Leyen highlighted the strategic significance of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, noting the EU’s 10-billion-euro pledge to reduce overland transit time between Europe and Central Asia to 15 days.
She called Central Asia the “beating heart of Eurasia” and emphasized that infrastructure must be complemented by smooth border crossings, particularly through the South Caucasus.
“The opening of Armenia’s borders with Türkiye and Azerbaijan will be a game changer,” von der Leyen said. “It will bring Europe and Central Asia closer together like never before.”
She also announced that a new Investors Forum is planned in Uzbekistan in 2025 to secure private funding for the corridor and assess progress.
In a June 2024 interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, then-US. Assistant Secretary of State James O’Brien stated that a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan could do more than just end their protracted conflict – it could also significantly diminish Russian influence in the South Caucasus and open a strategic trade corridor connecting Central Asia to Turkey and beyond.
