“President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen spoke extensively at the summit in Uzbekistan about the Middle Corridor, about opening borders between Armenia and Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan, yet she didn’t say a single word about Georgia, which is unfair,” said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
“To put it mildly, I was surprised when I was informed about the statement made by Ms. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, at the summit of Central Asian and EU leaders in Uzbekistan. She spoke about opening borders between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Armenia and Turkey, in the context of developing the Middle Corridor, which they call the EU’s Global Gateway.
It was very strange, because this corridor already exists, and Armenia plays no role in it. We understand the sentiments of European bureaucrats toward Armenia, but you cannot ignore the map. Together with Georgia, we in Azerbaijan have already provided all the infrastructure that is currently helping Europe connect with Central Asia.
Georgia’s seaports, the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway, Azerbaijan’s seaport in Alat, and Caspian Sea shipping — all of these are components of the transport system. All of this has been ignored.
The investments we have made have also been ignored. The focus is only on opening borders between Turkey and Armenia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. What is Europe supposed to do in this matter? It’s not their business. Relations between Turkey and Armenia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, are far removed from Europe. Not a single word was said about Georgia — as if Georgia doesn’t exist. That is unfair,” Aliyev said.