CASPIA Director Orkhan Yolchuev gave an interview to the Kazakhstani online publication Check-point.kz, commenting on Kazakhstan’s foreign policy, its relations with Russia and Azerbaijan, and the growing strategic importance of the Middle Corridor.

The interview focused in particular on the bilateral meetings held by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. According to Orkhan Yolchuev, Kazakhstan continues to pursue a pragmatic foreign policy based on “diversification without confrontation,” maintaining close relations with Russia while simultaneously expanding cooperation with China, the European Union, Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Central Asian states.

Commenting on Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan relations, Yolchuev identified logistics and energy as the key drivers of bilateral cooperation in the coming years. He stressed that the strategic importance of the partnership goes far beyond bilateral trade, as Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are becoming important elements of a new transport and energy architecture across Eurasia.

Particular attention was given to the Middle Corridor (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route), which connects Central Asia with the South Caucasus, Türkiye and European markets. Yolchuev noted that the further development of ports, railway infrastructure, ferry capacity, digital customs procedures and through tariffs will be essential for transforming the Middle Corridor from a coordinated set of national infrastructures into an integrated logistics route.

The CASPIA Director also highlighted the potential for cooperation in green energy and digital connectivity, including the development of subsea fibre-optic infrastructure across the Caspian Sea. In his view, these projects could strengthen the connectivity between Central Asia, the South Caucasus and Europe and enable Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan to move beyond their traditional role as commodity suppliers toward becoming co-creators of a new regional economic and energy architecture.

Yolchuev also discussed the prospects for closer cooperation between Kazakhstan’s new Kurultai and Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis. He argued that interparliamentary cooperation should acquire a more practical dimension by supporting the harmonisation of legislation related to electronic transport documents, customs procedures, digital cargo tracking, investment protection and trans-Caspian infrastructure projects.

According to Orkhan Yolchuev, Kazakhstan’s current diplomatic strategy demonstrates its ability to maintain relations with traditional partners while simultaneously expanding its strategic room for manoeuvre. In this context, cooperation with Azerbaijan represents an important component of Kazakhstan’s broader efforts to diversify its transport, energy and trade routes and strengthen its position within the evolving geopolitical and geoeconomic landscape of Eurasia.