Expert: Critical minerals could give Middle Corridor new strategic role

The Middle Corridor could provide a route for processed critical minerals from Central Asia to Western markets without transit through Russia or Iran, Yaşar Sarı, director of the Heydar Aliyev Centre for Eurasian Studies at Türkiye’s Ibn Haldun University, said.

Speaking at the Second International Conference of Leading National Analytical Centres of the Organisation of Turkic States, Sarı said the corridor connects countries across the Turkic world and serves as a strategic foundation for diversifying trade routes, strengthening economic autonomy and reducing external dependence, according to Report news agency.

“For the European Union, it is a reliable alternative in terms of diversifying supply chains. In addition to being an alternative to northern and southern routes, the corridor plays the role of an important hub in China’s expanding geoeconomic integration,” Sarı said.

The Middle Corridor, also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, links China and Central Asia with the South Caucasus and Europe across the Caspian Sea, offering an alternative to routes running through Russia or Iran.

By Tamilla Hasanova