Kazakh leader highlights Middle Corridor as most efficient route to Europe

Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has emphasized that the Middle Corridor is the shortest and most reliable route to Europe, with the potential to handle up to 10 million tonnes of cargo.

Speaking at the Kazakhstan-Germany business forum, Tokayev suggested integrating the Middle Corridor with the Trans-European Transport Network and the EU’s Global Gateway initiative to accommodate increasing trade volumes between East and West, Caliber.Az reports via Kazakh media.

Tokayev highlighted Kazakhstan’s strategic location as a crucial intra-regional trade and logistics hub in Eurasia.

The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), widely known as the Middle Corridor, is experiencing a remarkable surge in container shipments. Data from Kazakhstan Railways shows a 14-fold increase in container shipments during the first seven months of 2024 compared to the previous year. This growth underscores the corridor's rising importance and its vast economic potential, signalling significant opportunities in logistics and infrastructure investments.

Azerbaijan’s strategic position as a bridge between Europe and Asia is pivotal to the success of the TITR. The country has been proactive in advancing global energy, transportation, and communication projects, including the Zangezur Corridor, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, and the Southern Gas Corridor. Azerbaijan serves as a crucial transit hub for goods travelling from China and Central Asia to Europe via the Caspian Sea and the South Caucasus, enhancing the corridor’s strategic value.

Since its operational launch in 2014, the Middle Corridor has emerged as the most efficient and secure route for transporting goods between China and Europe. In 2023, approximately 2.8 million tonnes of cargo were transported through this route, representing an 86% increase from the previous year. Projections for 2024 suggest that cargo volumes will exceed 4 million tonnes, reinforcing the corridor’s significance in global logistics.

The continued expansion of the Middle Corridor promises substantial economic benefits for the directly involved nations and the global economy at large. By providing an alternative to traditional maritime routes, the Middle Corridor offers shorter transit times and mitigates logistical bottlenecks, thereby enhancing trade connectivity among regional stakeholders.