Country Note on Belt and Road Initiative in South Caucasus

Project Description:

PMC Research is working on a country note on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in the South Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan) under the Emerging Markets Forum project on the BRI.

The aim of the project is to study the impact of the BRI on the countries of Central Asia and the South Caucasus (CASC) and ascertain how these countries individually and through regional cooperative efforts can maximize the benefits of the BRI and manage any potential risks.

The country note on the BRI in the South Caucasus covers the following topics:

• The main areas of BRI engagement (transport, energy, agriculture, mining, etc.);

• Potential impacts of the BRI on countries CASC region in the following areas:

•       Trade
•       Financial flows
•       Employment and migration
•       Urban/rural and intra-country regional (im)balances
•       Environmental impacts
•       Macroeconomic balances and debt
•       Governance;

• Clarifying the extent to which BRI investments are integrated with national plans of the relevant countries’ governments and regional plans of organizations belonging to these countries;

• Clarifying the extent to which local stakeholders (potentially affected communities and population groups) have been consulted in preparation of BRI investments;

• Whether regional organizations are involved (or should be involved) in planning, implementing and monitoring of BRI programs;

• Ways in which international organizations (UN agencies, MDBs, etc.) can assist countries in ensuring maximum benefits with minimum cost/risk from the BRI;

• Recommendations for China, for the CASC governments, private sector and CSOs, and for the international community to help CASC countries get the most out of the BRI.