Framing the Caspian Opportunities for Digital World

The Caspian Region is developing into one of the most vibrant- and interesting economic regions in the World. The five countries Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan are the home of over 250 million citizens, generating a combined GDP of $ 2 trillion. The Caspian region is at the crucial social-economic nexus between East-West and North-South and provides over 60% of the global gas reserves and 20% of the global oil reserves. While natural resources define the backbone of most regional economies, the increasing diversifications into manufacturing and vertical linkages of value chains represent tremendous opportunities for economic growth.

Caspian Region has a tremendous human potential, though all countries encounter similar issues on the way to their development. The philosophy of the ancient Silk Road was to connect city by city in order to become part of the global economy. New technologies will give the region the opportunity to have the fresh start and to build the Digital Silk Road.