Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia sign Istanbul Declaration to boost South Caucasus connectivity

On 8 June, the foreign ministers of Turkey (Hakan Fidan), Azerbaijan (Jeyhun Bayramov) and Georgia (Maka Botchorishvili) met in Istanbul for their tenth trilateral meeting and signed the Istanbul Declaration. The agreement reaffirms commitment to regional cooperation in politics, trade, transport, energy, security, culture and technology, and stresses the importance of the Middle Corridor and the fully‑operational Baku‑Tbilisi‑Kars railway for Europe‑Asia trade.

The ministers highlighted strategic energy projects such as the Baku‑Tbilisi‑Ceyhan pipeline, the Baku‑Tbilisi‑Erzurum link and the Southern Gas Corridor, and discussed expanding green‑energy corridors and renewable cooperation. They welcomed progress in the Armenia‑Azerbaijan peace process and urged diplomatic channels to resolve regional conflicts. Botchorishvili said at the press conference, “We have gathered here today not only as representatives of three states, but as partners united by a shared vision of peace, prosperity and common development.”

Security challenges discussed included the Russia‑Ukraine war, tensions around Iran, cyber threats and organised crime, with Georgia noting Russia’s occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The declaration commits the three countries to defend each other’s sovereignty and to hold the next trilateral foreign‑ministerial meeting in Georgia in 2027.