ADB official: Middle Corridor key to tapping Central Asia’s economic power

Director of the Regional Cooperation and Operations Coordination Division in the Central and West Asia Department at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Lyaziza Sabyrova has said that the Middle Corridor holds significant promise for boosting Central Asia’s economic integration and unlocking the region’s vast natural resource potential.

Sabirova made these remarks at the seminar “Trans-Caspian Connectivity: Unlocking Transport and Energy Corridors”, held during the ADB’s 58th Annual Meeting, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

“Within the CAREC programme, we have six designated corridors. The Middle Corridor largely overlaps with what we refer to as CAREC Corridor 2. Its importance has certainly grown—it is now an alternative route between East and West, and substantial work has already been done along it, including numerous studies,” said Sabirova.

Despite its rising relevance, the Middle Corridor currently carries only about 10 per cent of non-energy-related trade flows in the region, highlighting a significant gap between existing usage and its full capacity. 

“Clearly, that figure is well below its potential. The Middle Corridor provides an opportunity not only to leverage Central Asia’s natural resource wealth, but also to better integrate the region into both regional and global connectivity and value chains,” she added.

The seminar, focused on enhancing Trans-Caspian connectivity, brought together regional policymakers, infrastructure experts, and financial institutions to explore ways to strengthen transport and energy corridors in an evolving geopolitical landscape. 

The CAREC (Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation) program, under which the Middle Corridor is being developed, aims to promote regional cooperation and sustainable growth across 11 member countries through infrastructure, trade, and economic linkages. As global trade patterns shift and geopolitical dynamics evolve, the Middle Corridor is increasingly viewed as a critical alternative route linking Asia and Europe—offering landlocked Central Asian countries enhanced access to international markets.

By Naila Huseynova