Vusal Gasimli: “6-country Platform” Is the Basis for Regional Development

Vusal Gasimli: “6-country Platform” Is the Basis for Regional Development

After the victory of Azerbaijan in Karabakh, a “3+3” or 6-country regional cooperation platform has emerged, bringing together 3 countries of South Caucasus, Turkey, Russia, and Iran. Executive Director of the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communication, Doctor of Economics, Professor Vusal Gasimli stated that the geography of intersections in “3+3” cooperation format is as follows: South Caucasus is the core, and Russia, Turkey, and Iran is the outer ring. He said, “Being a leader in the South Caucasus in terms of politics, economy, and military, Azerbaijan also has a decisive position both in the core and in the outer ring of this format. By gaining success in resolving the Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan has formed a basis for peace, safety, and development in the South Caucasus and laid the foundation for the “3+3” cooperation format”.

According to V.Gasimli, the total economy of the countries in the "3 + 3" format is about 3 trillion dollars, which means the world's fifth-largest economy after the United States, China, Japan, and Germany. “If we take in the term of purchasing power parity, the economies of the "3 + 3" format are getting closer to 8 trillion US dollars, and form the fourth largest economy after China, the United States, and India. With a population of 331 million, the 3 + 3 countries are the third-largest in the world. Besides, “3+3” is the first for its total territory. These scales show that the new format promises great potential not only in politics and security but also in terms of the economy. In particular, there are opportunities for mutual investment, cooperation in industry, agriculture, and services,” said V.Gasimli.

V.Gasimli considers that the "3 + 3" format can accelerate regional trade and thus boost economic growth. As he said, “The fragmentation of the region shackles the development. The scale effect of the economy proves that every national economy can develop successfully only if it has access to markets with a sufficient volume. The experience of countries that have been relatively successful since the second half of the last century demonstrates the importance of regional trade. The countries of the South Caucasus are oriented to the markets of the European Union and the Eurasian Union, but regional identity is weak. The development of regional trade can also create the basis for economic growth. For example, only 2 percent of its trade turnover Azerbaijan realizes in the South Caucasus. For Georgia, this indicator is 12 percent, and for Armenia 2 percent. Russia is the main trading partner for all three South Caucasus countries, and Turkey is the second largest trading partner for Georgia and Azerbaijan. Among South Caucasus countries, only in Armenia's trade turnover, Iran is in the top five. “3 + 3" cooperation format can affect regional trade not only in the South Caucasus but also the volume of trade between Turkey, Russia and Iran” He added, “3+3” cooperation format with the involvement of the Zangezur Corridor can also change the transport architecture. Particularly, Azerbaijan's water, air, road, and rail transport infrastructure may have a central position in the integration of the six-country platform parties. The matter is that Azerbaijan's location in the southern and eastern parts of the region ensures the diversification of transport infrastructure along both meridians and latitudes. For instance, Russia can be connected with Iran via North-South route passing through Azerbaijan, and Iran can be connected with Georgia by South-West route passing through Azerbaijan”. V.Gasimli noted that "3 + 3" cooperation format countries have 14.7 percent of world oil reserves and 42.1 percent of natural gas reserves. He also said that there are more hydrocarbon resources in Russia, Iran, and Azerbaijan, while water resources dominate in Turkey, Georgia, and Armenia. Moreover, the “3 + 3” cooperation format can open up new opportunities for the region's energy security. Armenia can also use this format to abandon the nuclear power plant, which is considered an environmental threat to the region and take advantage of the opportunities provided by the new format.

According to V.Gasimli’s opinion, at a time when regionalism is strengthening in comparison with globalization, the "3 + 3" cooperation format is in the interests of all participants. “New realities emerged in the region after Karabakh problem resolution can also be considered as a basis for 6-country cooperation platform”, he added.

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