The potential for “internal” trade in the South Caucasus

Usually the main trading partners of countries are their neighbours. The South Caucasus is special in this respect. Ongoing conflicts, resulting road closures, as well as legal and psychological barriers, force people living here to seek trade links in more distant lands. Meanwhile, each of the countries in the region has something to offer the other: from energy to metal raw materials, from agricultural products to high technology. The prospect of resolving the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict gives economists hope that the countries will finally be able not only to trade with each other, but also to become an important hub of international trade someday. Trade and joint economic interests could make the task of building peace much easier.

Economists Armen Ktoyan and Natig Jafarli talked about the prospects of realising the economic potential in the South Caucasus as part of the ‘The Line of Contact – Current Issues’. The programme was prepared on the joint initiative of Yerevan and Baku Press Clubs.