Over the last decade, Turkey has followed a policy of "Civilization Diplomacy" and conducted very intensive economy-trade diplomacy in the Caucasus, the Balkans, the Middle East, Central Asia, the Gulf region and Africa. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Caucasus has become one of the most strategic geographies or junctions in a new multipolar world and the global political economy that is in the process of reshaping the Atlantic - the center of the asymmetric order - and the Asia-Pacific.
From the perspective of the countries in the region - with respect to global trade that will be reshaped from the Asia-Pacific to the Atlantic - whether the new trade corridors will pass through the south, middle or north of the Caspian and how added value will be shared are fueling debate and search among countries and alliances.
To shed light on some of these issues, some 290 academics, politicians, diplomats, military officers, businessmen, journalists and experts from eight countries, including Turkey and Azerbaijan, came together at the "Caucasus: History, contemporary period, and future" congress held in Azerbaijan's capital Baku.
The event was organized by the Institute of Strategic Thinking (SDE) and the Turkish Historical Society (TTK) with the support of Azerbaijan AMIA Institute of History.
Given the importance of the energy, transportation, and trade corridors that will extend from the Asia-Pacific to Europe over the next century, it does not escape the notice of global power centers that strong cooperation between and with Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey will be critically important to establish a strong energy, transportation, logistics, and tourism-services collaboration network, spanning from the East to the West.
Moreover, the currently developing strategic cooperation between the three countries, in terms of economy and trade diplomacy areas, with regards to Turkey's position as a junction country, highlights the aspect of this corridor that will move toward the Atlantic over Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Greece and the Baltic republics - countries that have a coast on the Black Sea - and toward Africa over Iraq, Syria, and Cyprus in the future.
In the Caucasus, besides economic, political and military collaboration between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia, it should not be disregarded that very important projects on the aspects of global internet network cooperation and knowledge economy collaboration - based on the power of information, can also be carried out.
This is why the growing opportunities for cooperation and joint projects between the three countries - at a time when the global political economy and global trade corridors are being reshaped - will no doubt strengthen Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Georgia's hand at the negotiation table.
During this period when Turkey-Russia relations are rapidly improving, Azerbaijan is hopeful of resolving the Nagorno-Karabagh issue for the future of the Caucasus. Our "Civilization Diplomacy" success will also solve this issue.
NEP, knowledge economy and 5G
The period of "transition-oriented toward high-value creation in manufacturing and exporting," after the "balancing-discipline" period of Turkey's New Economic Program (NEP) is over, there requires focusing on the real move toward a "knowledge economy" to save Turkey from risking falling into the middle-income trap. This is why it is necessary to take measures not only in the field of economy or structural reforms to increase efficiency, quality and to support export, it will also be important to complete legal infrastructure and mental transformation to introduce a "science-technology-innovation" ecosystem in Turkey based on the knowledge economy.
Once the new "science-technology-innovation" ecosystem law, based on the "knowledge economy," can be quickly implemented in the new legislative period of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), it would clarify the road map of a historical mental transformation that can carry Turkey to its 2023, 2053 and 2071 goals. But any impediment related to the technical infrastructure of this mental transformation could cause the country to fall behind the potential level it can attain in global competition over the next decade.
Fifth-generation or 5G technology, in essence, means benefiting from all kinds of digital technologies to effectively use a country's ground and underground resources. It would bring efficiency and cost management to a perfect balance in production, supply and transport from the first to the end user of raw materials, intermediate and final goods.
Technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) can revolutionize everything from agriculture, to energy to city management to transport, logistics, the "internet of things" (IoT), the economy, production and manufacturing.
If the NEP's change period can oversee the transformation of manufacturing and exports into an added value-driven process in agriculture, industry and services sectors, the essence of this will be the creation of an ecosystem based on the "knowledge economy."