BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 5. Azerbaijan has become the essential link between Europe and Asia, says an article by the Italian daily online newspaper Formiche, TurkicWorld reports.
"With one foot in both Asia and Europe, Azerbaijan embraces diversity and absorbs the values of different cultures and civilizations, enabling it to assume the role of a true bridge. There is a subtle but significant geopolitical thread linking Italy to Central Asia, represented by relations with a key country like Azerbaijan, located in a very strategic geographic axis: Georgia, Türkiye, Bulgaria, Greece, and Albania. These countries straddle two highly strategic quadrants - the Euro-Mediterranean and the Caucasus - and over the past few years, Italy has become increasingly aware of how crucial this segment of Asia has become in light of so-called horizontal development," the article reads.
The authors highlighted the growing trade turnover between Baku and Rome, noting that Italy is now Azerbaijan’s largest trading partner, while Azerbaijan is Italy’s top partner in the South Caucasus region.
"Last year, an agreement was signed between Ansaldo Energia and Azerenerji, the largest electricity producer in the Republic of Azerbaijan, marking the beginning of the development and modernization of a plant to which the Italian company will supply four AE94.3A gas turbines, worth over 160 million euros," the authors added.
It is further noted that today, the impact of the war in Ukraine on Italy’s energy supply is no longer an immediate emergency, thanks in part to the farsighted decision to build the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).
"The role of TAP cannot be overlooked. It is a central component of the Southern Gas Corridor, which transports natural gas from the Shah Deniz II field in Azerbaijan to Europe. To date, approximately 26 billion cubic meters of gas have been delivered to Europe. Connecting at the Turkish-Greek border with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP), TAP enters northern Greece, crosses Albania, and then passes through the Adriatic to the coast of Puglia, bringing together a series of countries that form a bridge between Europe and the Caucasus," the article added.
At the same time, as the authors rightly pointed out, Azerbaijan’s role extends beyond energy and covers two key areas: the organization of COP29 in November and intercultural dialogues.
"Azerbaijan has initiated the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, now in its sixth edition. This initiative was born from the "Baku Process," launched in 2008 by the Republic of Azerbaijan in close collaboration with important international partners. It aims to promote intercultural dialogue, understanding, and harmony within and between different cultures. The forum serves as a platform for governments, international organizations, experts, scholars, politicians, and professionals to engage in meaningful discussions about the evolving dynamics of intercultural communication and global security in an interconnected world. For this reason, the forum is promoted in close cooperation with UNESCO, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), the Council of Europe, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)," the article concludes.
