BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 17. The twenty seventh plenary
session of the Convention of Particular Companies Businesses of
Turkic-speaking States, held yesterday within the metropolis of Khankendi,
was not simply one other official assembly for the area, political
analyst Azer Garayev informed Pattern.
The occasion, themed “The Function of Particular Companies in Guaranteeing the
Safety of Worldwide Transport Routes,” conveyed vital
political, safety, and geostrategic messages at a time when
transport corridors have gotten more and more pivotal within the
evolving international order, he said.
Garayev emphasised that the participation of intelligence and
particular companies leaders at a gathering hosted by Azerbaijan
underscored that the safety of worldwide transport routes
has transcended its financial significance to grow to be a matter of
nationwide safety. He identified that the attendance of
Colonel-Common Ali Naghiyev, Head of the State Safety Service,
Colonel-Common Orkhan Sultanov, Head of the International Intelligence
Service, in addition to senior officers from Türkiye, Kazakhstan,
Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and a high-level delegation from Hungary,
highlighted the broader geopolitical significance of this agenda
past the Turkic world.
He additional famous that within the twenty-first century, competitors
amongst main powers is now not restricted to navy would possibly.
Transport corridors, spanning ports, railways, highways, air
routes, and communication networks, have grow to be central devices
of geopolitical affect, facilitating the safe stream of vitality,
commerce, strategic provides, and knowledge.
The analyst careworn that threats concentrating on worldwide
transport traces have diversified.
“Worldwide terror networks see the destruction of essential
infrastructure as a precedence goal, transnational organized crime
teams try to make use of routes for trafficking medicine, weapons and
smuggled items, cyberthreats intention on the digital management of
transport programs, and hybrid assaults search to paralyze hyperlinks inside
logistical chains,” he mentioned. Because of this, the safety of
transport corridors at present is just not solely the duty of
border companies however has grow to be a strategic area for particular
companies,” he mentioned.
Garayev recalled that within the early years of Azerbaijan’s
independence, the nation confronted a number of terror assaults concentrating on
transport infrastructure by hostile states and separatist teams.
“The explosion on the Kislovodsk–Baku passenger practice on the Baku
Railway Station; the phobia assault on the ‘January 20’ metro
station on March 19, 1994; the downing of an Iranian Hercules
plane close to Khankendi by Armenian terrorists; and the July 3,
1994, blast on the Baku metro line between ‘28 Could’ and ‘Ganjlik’
stations, all aimed to unfold concern and destroy public belief.
Regardless of this, Azerbaijan’s particular companies recognized and introduced
to justice these accountable and made vital achievements in
defending the nation’s safety and defending its transport
traces,” he mentioned.
He added that whereas threats prior to now had been primarily terror acts,
at present they’re extra superior, complicated and multifaceted, hybrid,
cyber, and transnational. Thus, the duty of particular
companies extends past defending transport routes and types a
core element of nationwide safety. Historic expertise, he
mentioned, reveals that with out sturdy, coordinated intelligence exercise,
securing transport infrastructure is unimaginable.
The political analyst emphasised that Azerbaijan’s geography
locations it at one of many central junctions of the historic Silk
Street. “Within the twenty first century, this advantageous geography is as soon as
once more turning the nation right into a key pillar of world logistics,”
he mentioned.
Azerbaijan at present is an integral a part of a number of main
worldwide transport routes, together with the North–South Hall,
the East–West or Center Hall, the Southern Fuel Hall (SGC),
the Zangezur Hall, the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars (BTK) railway, and the
Trans-Caspian transport community. These routes strengthen
Azerbaijan’s function as an financial bridge between Europe and Asia,
however its rising transit potential additionally brings elevated dangers. For
this cause, Azerbaijan has made transport safety a precedence for
its particular companies.
On the Khankendi session, Colonel-Common Ali Naghiyev
highlighted efforts to undermine the conclusion of the Zangezur
Hall, a key element of the Center Hall, by numerous
“harmful circles.”
Garayev described the Center Hall (the Trans-Caspian
Worldwide Transport Route – TITR) as some of the mentioned
international tasks lately, connecting China – Kazakhstan –
the Caspian Sea – Azerbaijan – Georgia -Türkiye, and making a
path to Europe. In contrast with conventional northern and southern
routes, it’s thought of shorter, safer, and extra resilient.
The political analyst mentioned the Center Hall’s international
significance is outlined by a number of components: it brings new momentum to
Europe–Asia commerce, has strategic worth inside China’s Belt and Street
initiative, strengthens Azerbaijan’s geopolitical place, and
affords another path to Europe, China, and Central Asia with
decrease battle threat. Garayev famous that Azerbaijan is essentially the most
essential junction of the Center Hall, as most cargo strikes
throughout the nation by way of the Port of Baku and the BTK railway. Whereas
this brings financial good points and geopolitical leverage, it additionally
creates new dangers. Guaranteeing readiness and cooperation amongst particular
companies to counter threats to logistics chains is due to this fact
important.
Garayev mentioned that in the course of the plenary session, Ali Naghiyev
particularly addressed the Zangezur Hall. This route, a key
a part of the Center Hall, will join the principle a part of
Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and Türkiye,
changing into a “game-changer” for each Azerbaijan and the area.
Nevertheless, as emphasised in the course of the occasion, a number of harmful
facilities are trying to hinder its implementation via
political strain and knowledge manipulation. These threats make
the hall’s opening not solely an financial difficulty but in addition a
nationwide safety matter, he mentioned. Strengthening coordination amongst
particular companies, intensifying info change, and
establishing joint mechanisms in opposition to hybrid threats had been
highlighted as essential priorities.
Many mechanisms that underpin the safety of worldwide
transport routes stay largely unseen by the general public, with particular
companies serving as their core. These companies function throughout a
broad spectrum of actions, together with intelligence and
counterintelligence, the early identification of threats, the
neutralization of sabotage efforts by overseas entities, the
safety of essential infrastructure, the struggle in opposition to terrorism
and transnational crime, the prevention of drug and arms smuggling,
and the safeguarding of the digital platforms that handle trendy
transport programs. As transport infrastructure turns into more and more
digitalized, the necessity for sturdy cyberdefense measures for ports,
rail networks, and logistics databases has grow to be extra essential.
Given the wide-ranging nature of the threats concerned, solely
collaborative efforts can successfully handle them. The enhancement
of data sharing, operational cooperation, and joint
operations amongst Turkic states, as highlighted in the course of the plenary
session, represents a big step ahead on this regard.
Garayev famous that international politics is getting into a brand new part, with
the world financial system shifting towards Asia and logistics rising as a
central ingredient within the dynamics of world energy.
“On this context, the Center Hall have to be additional developed.
With the opening of the Zangezur Hall, the Turkic world ought to
grow to be a unified logistics house. Azerbaijan will reinforce its
place as one of many key intercontinental transit hubs,” he
said.
He additional emphasised that the Khankendi assembly holds
explicit significance on this context. Whereas the character of
threats confronted by states continues to evolve, one fixed stays:
the pivotal function of particular companies in making certain the safety of
transport routes is indispensable.
Total, Garayev concluded, the plenary session in Khankendi
demonstrated that the safety of transport corridors is just not solely
an financial matter but in addition basic to state sovereignty,
regional stability, and worldwide cooperation. The
duty of safety companies on this area is bigger than
ever. Standing on the heart of this course of, Azerbaijan is
safeguarding its nationwide pursuits whereas contributing to the
strategic integration of the Turkic world. Guaranteeing the safe
functioning of the Center Hall, the Zangezur Hall, and
different transport routes is crucial for the area’s future
growth, and coordinated cooperation amongst particular companies is
the best mechanism in opposition to international threats.
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