17:06 - 18.06.2025

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June 18, Fineko/abc.az. The Middle Corridor is a strategically important multimodal route passing through the territory of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, which plays a key role both in the implementation of the European Union's Global Gateway strategy and in the optimization of China's One Belt, One Road initiative.

ABC.AZ informs that this is stated in an analytical report on the prospects for deepening economic cooperation between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, prepared by the Astana International Financial Center and the Institute of Development and Diplomacy of ADA University.

"The capacity of the corridor is 6 million tons per year, including 100,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent) containers. In recent years, the time of cargo delivery along the route has been significantly reduced - from 38-53 to 19-23 days. The goal is to further reduce the time to 15 days.

By comparison, shipping goods by sea between China and Europe takes from 30 to 45 days, and recently this method has been experiencing disruptions in the Red Sea, which increases the transportation time," the report says.

It is noted that in comparison with the Northern Route passing through Russia, the Middle Corridor has a number of obvious advantages. In the context of geopolitical tensions and sanctions, transit along the Northern Route is subject to risks of delays and increased controls.

"In addition, dependence on one transit state poses a threat to the stability of supply chains. In comparison, the Middle Corridor provides a more diversified and sustainable route that mitigates the risks associated with geopolitical instability," the publication says.

In just four years, the Middle Corridor has demonstrated a more than fivefold increase in cargo traffic, confirming its potential to become a key land bridge for Eurasian trade amid the restructuring of global supply chains and geopolitical shifts. According to various forecasts, cargo traffic along the Middle Corridor may continue to grow in the future.

"According to the EBRD forecasts, container transit volumes along the Central Trans-Caspian route may increase from 18 thousand. TEU in 2022 to 130 thousand. TEU by 2040 while maintaining the current pace of development.

According to World Bank forecasts, the volume of traffic along the Middle Corridor may triple between 2021 and 2030 and reach 11 million tons per year," the report says.