# Azerbaijan-SCO Cooperation and the Power of Strategic Connectivity in Eurasia

In the modern world, the international authority of states is determined not only by the scale of their territory, population, and economy. A country's geographical location, its ability to influence regional processes, and its position along transport and communication routes connecting different economic spaces are also among the key factors determining its strategic significance. Especially at the current stage, when global economic activity is increasingly shifting toward Asia and new transport and energy routes are acquiring geopolitical significance alongside economic interests, the role of countries connecting vast geographical spaces is growing even further.

Azerbaijan is one of the states possessing precisely such a strategic position. Our country's location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, its access to the Caspian Sea, and its modern transport infrastructure enable Azerbaijan to play an important connecting role between Central Asia, the South Caucasus, Turkey, and Europe. The strengthening of Azerbaijan's position in the system of international relations in recent years has been accompanied by a more effective realization of these opportunities.

An important role in this process is played by the independent, consistent foreign policy based on national interests pursued by President Ilham Aliyev. This policy has created conditions for Azerbaijan to establish mutually beneficial cooperation with various centers of power and for the country's active participation in regional and global processes. The full restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty is one of the important results of the policy aimed at ensuring the national interests of our state.

In recent years, Azerbaijan's political, economic, transport, energy, and humanitarian ties with leading Asian states have expanded significantly. This process has not only strengthened our country's position as a reliable partner in the Eurasian space but has also enhanced the importance of cooperation on various multilateral platforms. In this context, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is one of the important international platforms to which Azerbaijan pays special attention.

AZERTAC analyzes the main factors driving the growing importance of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the SCO, existing ties, as well as new opportunities for interaction.

In 2026, the SCO marks the 25th anniversary of its establishment. Today, the organization unites 10 full-fledged member states. The geography of the SCO covers a territory of approximately 36 million square kilometers, and the population of its member states exceeds 3.4 billion people. According to World Bank data for 2025, the combined nominal GDP of the 10 SCO member states amounts to approximately $27.4 trillion, which corresponds to about 23.1% of global GDP.

Members of the organization, alongside