The leaders of the five Central Asian states and Azerbaijan convened on the shores of Lake Issyk Kul in Kyrgyzstan on July 31, signaling a shared intent to deepen trans-Caspian connections. The summit produced a final document known as the Cholpon-Ata Declaration, which, while largely symbolic, reaffirmed the participants' commitment to expanding trade and sustaining regional security. The gathering reflects a broader push among Central Asian governments to diversify trade routes and reduce dependence on legacy north-south corridors running through Russia, a priority that has intensified since the disruption of traditional commerce patterns following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The declaration "reflects the high level of trust among Central Asian states and the Republic of Azerbaijan, their commitment to the principles of peace, good-neighborliness, and sustainable development, as well as their desire to further expand regional cooperation," according to a Kyrgyz presidential statement.

The gathering formalized Azerbaijan's role as a full participant in Central Asian councils, expanding the C5 format to C6. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov announced that Kyrgyzstan would leverage its tenure on the UN Security Council to advocate for the common interests of C6 states. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that "relations with the countries of Central Asia are among" Baku's top foreign policy priorities, according to a presidential statement from Baku.

On the sidelines, Central Asian leaders signed a series of bilateral agreements. Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan signed an allied relations treaty along with additional documents, while Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan concluded agreements covering transport, energy, and trade.

Separately, Islamabad has been working to persuade Kazakhstan to prioritize Pakistani ports over Iranian alternatives. Kazakh Ambassador Yerzhan Kistafin met with Pakistan's Minister of Maritime Affairs, Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, on July 29 to discuss trade-related matters. Chaudhry offered Kazakhstan access to port facilities in Karachi, Port Qasim, and Gwadar, according to a Pakistani government statement. The statement noted that Islamabad is "keen to enhance engagement with Kazakhstan in ports, shipping, trade facilitation and regional connectivity." In late June, Kazakh officials had expressed interest in building a logistics facility at the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, despite ongoing tensions between Iran and the United States. The competing outreach from Pakistan and Iran underscores how securing southern maritime access has become a strategic imperative for landlocked Central Asian states seeking outlets to global markets.

In a separate development, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan have launched a digital customs system known as eTIR to accelerate cross-border trade. The system reduces customs clearance times by replacing paper documentation with shared electronic entries. The first eTIR test runs involved a truck transporting televisions and music equipment from Azerbaijan to Uzbekistan via Turkmenistan, as well as four trucks carrying commodities including cotton and water across the Caspian Sea from the Turkmen port of Turkmenbashi to Azerbaijan.

"The implementation of the eTIR system is ... important in terms of increasing the attractiveness of the Middle Corridor and increasing the volume of cargo transportation via this route," Azerbaijan's customs service said in a statement.

The Middle Corridor, formally known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, connects China to Europe via Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, the South Caucasus, and Turkey, offering an alternative to both the northern route through Russia and southern routes through Iran. Cargo volumes on the corridor have grown substantially in recent years, though bottlenecks in Caspian shipping capacity, port infrastructure, and customs procedures remain key constraints on throughput.

The New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy has developed an initiative called the Silk Seven-Plus (S7+), a blueprint designed to help states in Greater Central Asia achieve their economic growth ambitions. The multi-phase connectivity plan aims to strengthen the sovereignty of regional states by establishing a trade crescent linking the Caspian Basin to the Arabian Sea, thereby unlocking Greater Central Asia's full trade potential.