Baku, September 4
Armenia’s ability to build meaningful relations with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) depends on Azerbaijan’s role in the South Caucasus, a Georgian political analyst has argued.
Speaking to Oxu.Az, Giorgi Qoqua said the latest SCO summit underscored the search for “firm directions and solutions” amid growing geopolitical rivalry and fragile international security.
He noted that the invitation of both Azerbaijan and Armenia to the summit reflects the peace efforts of recent months, but stressed that Yerevan’s prospects are limited without Baku.
“Armenia’s economic perspectives and its ties with the SCO are practically unimaginable without Azerbaijan. As the key player in the Middle Corridor transport route, Azerbaijan’s participation and goodwill are essential. Without the opening of the Zangezur corridor, Armenia would have little strategic value for China or other SCO members, with the exception of Iran,” Qoqua said.
According to him, China views the South Caucasus as a single strategic space and is less focused on intra-regional rivalries. Beijing, as the leading actor in the SCO, is primarily interested in securing unimpeded and growing flows of its goods to Europe via the region.
Qoqua added that China’s push through the Caucasus is also aimed at counterbalancing the United States’ increasing role in the region, with Russia and India offering support for this strategy.
