Washington to host talks on Middle Corridor’s development prospects

The American-Georgian Business Council (AGBC), in cooperation with the US-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (USACC), will host a roundtable dedicated to the development prospects of the Middle Corridor, also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.

World Bank Regional Director for the South Caucasus Rolande Pryce will deliver the keynote address at the event, Caliber.Az reports, citing USACC.

Participants will discuss the growing importance of the Middle Corridor as a major trade and transport artery connecting Central Asia, the South Caucasus, Türkiye and Europe.

Particular attention will be paid to strengthening regional connectivity, increasing trade and investment flows, and deepening economic cooperation among countries along the route.

The roundtable will be held at the USACC office in Washington.

The World Bank has emphasised that unlocking the corridor’s full potential will require investment in railway infrastructure, port capacity and intermodal logistics facilities.

Other key conditions include improving border procedures, enhancing logistical coordination and accelerating the adoption of digital technologies.

Statistics from Kazakhstan’s Transport Ministry show sustained growth in cargo volumes along the route: 759,000 tons were transported in 2019, 783,000 tons in 2020, 586,000 tons in 2021, 1.485 million tons in 2022, 2.764 million tons in 2023 and 4.484 million tons in 2024.

According to the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), cargo volumes transported along the Middle Corridor reached 4.7 million tons in 2025 and are projected to increase by a further 10% by 2027.

By 2027, the route’s annual capacity could reach 10 million tons, significantly strengthening Azerbaijan’s transit potential and creating opportunities to attract new investment in infrastructure projects. The target cargo volume for the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route has been set at 11.4 million tons by 2030.

By Jeyhun Aghazada