Introduction

Future Prospects for the Eurasian Corridor
A series of round-table discussions
April 23, 1998

Strengthening Democratic Institutions Project
John F. Kennedy School of Government

Graham Allison: I am Graham Allison, the Director of the Belfer Center, and on behalf of Harvard and our colleagues who are co-sponsoring this, the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and the Conflict Management Group, I welcome everybody to this event.

The importance of the region certainly I don’t need to speak to that point for this group. The concept of a Eurasian transportation corridor emerged in 1993, promoted by the three South Caucasus states, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, and the five Central Asian states, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The Corridor concept has been supported by the European Union and is now developing as a major alternative route for the transportation of goods and peoples from Asia to Europe. It is clear, from the representation and interest that you have demonstrated by your presence at the conference, that this is a topic of rising recognition in the scholarly community and in the communities of government and people who analyze government policy. And because the interests of countries are becoming more clearly engaged, including the interest of the United States, the importance of the Caspian region is becoming further recognized. In particular, oil is the crux of this story, and we are going to have a round-table discussion of that topic as it relates to economic development later in the conversation. It has been a topic of study here at the Strengthening Democratic Institutions Project (SDI) at the Belfer Center.

As you can see from your program, the conference is scheduled to have four round-table discussions. People have been identified to start off with presentations, but then the subject is open for discussion. And I am looking forward to the final session this afternoon on regional economic development, which I have the honor to chair. The first session on the general significance of the corridor will be moderated by my colleague Fiona Hill. Fiona Hill is the Associate Director of the SDI Project, and along with my co-chair of this conference, Rusudan Gorgiladze, has been the inspiration in this effort.

So let me then finally introduce my colleague, Rusudan Gorgiladze. Harvard has counted itself very fortunate to have Rusudan here for this year. She actually visited us last year, and now we have had a chance to have her here for the whole year with great benefit to the University. She has been a Fellow at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. She has previously served as chief advisor to President Shevardnadze of Georgia and as the special representative of the President for political, security and conflict settlement. She has worked in a variety of roles for President Shevardnadze for the past five years. She was also involved in further linking Georgia with international organizations, particularly the EU and the Council of Europe, and of late, particularly as she has been in the Harvard community, she has been helping people get more clearly focused on the issues of and possibilities for conflict resolution in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Just by her presence and persistence, she has helped raise people’s awareness in the community, including I would confess my own, of the geopolitical importance of the Caucasus and Central Asia, and the broader Caspian region. Therefore, particularly for a topic like the Eurasian Corridor and its importance for the US, she is the right person to have first come up with the idea of this meeting but then to have worked so hard with so many of us to cause it to happen. So let me turn to Rusudan.

Rusudan Gorgiladze: Thank you very much. After so many compliments from Professor Allison, I am lost for words, which is very rare. I will try to be more focused, and I will use my notes for this because English is not even my second language.

Dear Harvard guests and colleagues, I am very pleased to welcome you this morning, to what I believe by looking at all of you will be an exciting and very informative conference. Speaking personally, I can say that this is a very important day for me. The subjects that we will address are ones that I have dedicated a great deal of personal and professional time working on, here at Harvard.

Today we are on the eve of a new millennium. The Cold War is over, and we are facing a dramatically different world. And certainly my presence on this podium is evidence enough. Today’s geopolitical and geoeconomic realities demand a stable and democratic South Caucasus and Central Asia as a reliable bridge between East and West, Asia and Europe. The idea of the Eurasian Corridor, otherwise known as the Silk Road, is not a new one as all of you know. Beginning in the first century, the Silk Road connected China, India, and Persia with Western Europe, transporting goods, people and ideas. It was given the title the Silk Road because of the great quantities brought from the East. Today, we are faced with the exciting and challenging project of rebuilding that road. Let me take a moment and quote the President of my country, Mr. Eduard Shevardnadze, who has consistently been a leading supporter of this concept: “The Eurasian Corridor, in other words, the modern realization of the Silk Road, is one of the major projects of the 21st century.” And our task today is to meet that challenge. The first serious meetings regarding this project took place in 1993 in Brussels, and all eight nations were present, three from the South Caucasus and five from Central Asia. It was sponsored and supported by the European Union. The simple fact that all eight nations were present and took the initiative is indicative of widespread regional support for this idea.

But what is the significance of today’s Eurasian Corridor? The transformation of this area from one of geostrategic confrontation to an open geoeconomic system, with a convergence of interests, represents tremendous political and economic opportunities. Specifically, the presence of oil and energy resources, in addition to other valuable resources, are of great importance for world markets and energy security. The success of the Eurasian Corridor is essential for regional security and the promotion of democratic state building and building a robust civil society, which is very important in my opinion. The benefits associated with the Eurasian Corridor are truly unlimited. In fact, the corridor offers attractive opportunities for Russia, China, Japan, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Moldova, the United States and beyond. Actually, Russia now has a historic chance to participate positively in this project and concept. Let me give you one example of how all parties can benefit. The conflict in Abkhazia will be solved again with the help of Russia for the mutual benefit of everyone. The cheapest transportation route from Russia to Turkey is through Abkhazia. This means that Russian goods will move more quickly and economically, and vice versa.

Today, I can say that US interest in the Eurasian Corridor is growing dramatically, politically and commercially. The extremely active media is evidence of support. Currently, there is a bill in the US Senate aimed at supporting the Eurasian Corridor, sponsored by Senator Sam Brownback. He calls the Silk Road the “Corridor of Freedom,” and I like this idea very much. Indeed, Senator Brownback has stated that the area “is of vital social, political and economic importance for the United States.” So judging by the number of invitees who could not make it today, because of the visits of numerous international delegations in Washington, DC (including that of Tukrmen President Niyazov), we can see that interest has truly expanded.

What are the goals and ideas of this conference? As far as I know, this is the first gathering dedicated exclusively to the Eurasian Corridor in the US. In terms of the Eurasian Corridor as a concept, it is significant that we have participants here today that are from academia and the business community. Let me tell you about the importance of being first in the system. All of you know who the first man in space was, but how many of you know who was the second? So the idea of being first encourages me. During my stay here in the United States, there have been many meetings dedicated to discussing the Caspian region, and this is a huge and significant part of the concept of the Eurasian Corridor. But these discussions were not wholly focused on this concept, which is in fact the background and context of all of the regional issues. It is my hope that today we will come up with concrete ideas and recommendations. I hope that today we will stimulate further discussion of the Eurasian Corridor, and we will meet the challenges we are facing.

Indeed, this conference would not have taken place without the institutional support of people like Fiona Hill, the Associate Director of the Strengthening Democratic Institutions Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; Steve Bloomfield, the Director of the Fellows Program at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs; Tricia Hughes, also from the Fellows Program; Arthur Martirosyan, from the Conflict Management Group; and all of you.

My wish is that not only the new Silk Road, but all of the roads on this earth, will be as soft and smooth as silk is. Thank you.