CAMCA Forum in Baku: Practical Paths Toward Greater Regional Convergence

# Forum snapshot Oct. 1 in Baku brought policymakers, researchers and international envoys together to discuss realistic steps for closer regional cooperation across Central Asia and the South Caucasus. Speakers framed convergence as practical coordination on shared resources and cross-border projects rather than political uniformity.

# What participants said

Ambassador Eduards Stiprais, the EU Special Representative for Central Asia, described growing external challenges that make intra-regional solidarity more necessary. He framed EU engagement as offering practical experience and potential support for integration, conditional on regional states choosing to adopt relevant approaches. He also noted Afghanistan as a possible future partner whose inclusion has so far been constrained.

# Practical policy directions discussed

• Institutionalize consultative mechanisms that include Azerbaijan and other neighboring actors to coordinate transport corridors, energy interconnection and environmental risk management.

• Use existing and new frameworks such as S7+ (discussed by participants) to align internal integration with access to global markets and to guide external engagement, including U.S. and EU offers of technical assistance and investment.

# Resource and infrastructure priorities Speakers converged on a short list of shared priorities that will determine how far convergence can go: electricity grids and renewable generation, water management for agriculture and industry, transport corridors (including the Middle Corridor), and building human capital and skills to add value within regional supply chains.

# Opportunities and constraints The forum made clear that the region has demographic and resource advantages that can be turned into economic momentum, including critical minerals and growing consumer markets. Constraints are practical: unequal resource distribution, institutional differences among states, and political choices about the scope of cooperation. External partners are available to support integration, but progress depends on regional decisions to harmonize policies and invest jointly.

# Bottom line Baku centered on converting shared challenges into cooperative projects. That requires concrete institutional arrangements, agreements on shared infrastructure (power, water, transport), and a willingness to treat high-tech ambitions like AI as regional, not solely national, undertakings. Speakers presented convergence as achievable through stepwise, project-focused coordination rather than top-down unification.