Gulf-Central Asia Think Tank Online Forum was convened by the Gulf Research Center (GRC) in partnership with the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (ISRS).

Dedicated to the theme “Strengthening Gulf-Central Asia Cooperation in a Shifting Regional Order,” the forum featured welcoming remarks by Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Founder and Chairman of the Gulf Research Center (GRC), and Dr. Eldor Aripov, Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Within the framework of the panel discussions, AIR Center’s Chairman of the Board Farid Shafiyev highlighted Azerbaijan’s pivotal role as a bridge between Central Asia, Europe, and other global markets. He also emphasized the growing demand for overland transport corridors amid instability in the Middle East and the evolving situation in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as the important role of the C6 countries in this process.

The AIR Center Chairman noted that Azerbaijan’s admission to the Consultative Meeting of Central Asian Heads of State significantly strengthens the country’s growing role in the regional architecture and creates new opportunities for structured cooperation.

F. Shafiyev stressed that initiatives such as the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP), also known as the Zangezur Corridor, could further enhance the resilience and diversification of East-West connectivity.

“Connectivity remains a central pillar of the C6 agenda, including infrastructure, digitalization, and the removal of bottlenecks. Central Asia and Azerbaijan already constitute ‘a single geopolitical and geo-economic region,’ as noted by Ilham Aliyev. This statement captures an emerging logistical and economic reality in addition to a political vision,” he stated.

It should be noted that, within the forum, the first panel session examined the evolving security environment in the Gulf and Central Asia amid rising geopolitical competition and regional conflicts. It explored shared risks, such as conflict spillover, non-state actors, and transnational threats.

The second panel, titled “Trade, Energy, and Transport Corridors,” examined how the Gulf and Central Asia can leverage their strategic geography to deepen economic interdependence.