Parliamentary diplomacy and the strategic future of the Middle Corridor came together in a discussion of the political, institutional, digital and environmental conditions needed to sustain connectivity over the long term.
Parliamentary diplomacy and sustainable development
In her keynote, Sahiba Gafarova, Speaker of the Parliament of Azerbaijan, presented parliamentary diplomacy as a practical way to sustain dialogue across political differences. Her central message was that “a difficult conversation is more valuable than a comfortable silence”. Bilateral visits, committee exchanges and parliamentary forums can keep communication open when official diplomacy is constrained, while parliamentarians can explain domestic concerns and political sensitivities.
The wider discussion linked peace and development, noting the damage conflict causes to human capital, public services and employment. Participants considered parliaments’ roles in legislation, budgets, scrutiny and representation. Oversight should examine whether programmes improve lives, while parliamentary institutions can maintain attention to reforms that extend beyond a single political term.
The Middle Corridor and regional integration
Participants discussed the Middle Corridor as an emerging strategic system connecting Asia and Europe through Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan and Georgia. They stressed that its long-term relevance depends on independent economic and strategic value. The discussion highlighted its digital dimension, Azerbaijan’s diversification ambitions and the potential for the South Caucasus peace process to open renewed Armenia–Azerbaijan economic links.
An Azerbaijani parliamentarian identified three regional trends: the South Caucasus peace process, deeper Central Asia–Caucasus integration, and growing interest in the corridor amid instability surrounding other routes. Regional platforms mentioned included the Organization of Turkic States, C5+1 formats and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Harmonisation, digitalisation and governance
UNECE’s contribution identified five operational priorities: closing infrastructure gaps; digitalising and harmonising transport documents; developing corridor-wide timetables and tariffs; improving border-crossing efficiency; and ensuring economic viability, climate resilience and environmental performance.
The contribution highlighted the AGTC agreement as a tool for common infrastructure standards. A digital twin was presented as a means of analysing efficiency and bottlenecks, with an Istanbul–Tashkent simulation reported as complete. The discussion also covered the SPECA Multi-Partner Trust Fund and an agreed Trans-Caspian digitalisation roadmap. Participants raised fragmented financing, duplication among international financial institutions and underdeveloped cyber resilience as challenges requiring attention.
Environmental resilience
The environmental contribution emphasised that infrastructure and environmental resilience are inseparable. Risks discussed included declining Caspian Sea levels, sandstorms, glacial melt in the Caucasus and growing water scarcity. A regional framework for transboundary environmental impact assessment was highlighted as relevant to avoiding cross-border harm. Environmental safeguards were presented as an insurance policy for long-lived investment.
A futures perspective
In closing, Caroline Liebich, co-founder of Futures Hub 4 Sustainability, described corridors as strategic systems whose design choices will shape economic, environmental and geopolitical outcomes for decades. She presented foresight as a way to examine alternative futures and the consequences of decisions made today.
The discussion’s central takeaway was that resilient connectivity requires trust, sustained political dialogue, harmonised rules, interoperable systems and environmental foresight alongside physical infrastructure. Long-term cooperation depends on institutions capable of maintaining these efforts across political cycles.
Resilient connectivity depends on sustained dialogue and strong institutions as well as infrastructure.
Based on the FH4S session summary of 4 September 2026. This account reflects the presentations and discussion at the session; technical and project-status references describe what was reported at that time.