Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have launched the Trans-Caspian fiber-optic communication line. Presidents Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Ilham Aliyev attended the inauguration ceremony. The 380-kilometre cable was laid along the seabed of the Caspian Sea, creating a new digital route connecting Central Asia, China and Europe. The line could also be connected to submarine cable systems in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The project was carried out by Kazakhtelecom and AzerTelecom. The new backbone will expand international data exchange capacity and create opportunities for the development of cloud services and artificial intelligence. President Tokayev described the project as the digital embodiment of the Middle Corridor, which will strengthen cooperation between the two countries.
«We have launched a very important project that will have international significance. Most importantly, it represents a new type of corridor. This is not a transport corridor, but something entirely new that reflects the realities of the modern era – the era of digitalization. It is a fundamentally new format of cooperation,» Tokayev said.
In turn, President Aliyev emphasized that the new backbone will strengthen links between Central Asia and the South Caucasus. Other countries in the region will also be able to connect to the network.
«Last year, Azerbaijan was admitted as a full-fledged member of the Consultative Meetings of the Heads of State of Central Asia. This year, I participated as a full-fledged member of this format. This project represents another contribution to deepening cooperation, as the fiber-optic communication lines will be used by both Central Asian and South Caucasus countries, as well as countries across the wider region. Today, we have launched a global project,» Aliyev said.
Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have also agreed to jointly develop the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor, one of the key routes connecting Asia and Europe. In the presence of Presidents Tokayev and Aliyev, the two sides exchanged the signed agreement. It provides for the expansion of railway, road and port infrastructure, as well as the elimination of bottlenecks along the route.
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