“We see the Middle Corridor as a powerful catalyst for regional economic growth and integration, recognizing it as a key driver for the development of infrastructure, industry, and business, as well as for strengthening stability and prosperity across the region,” noted President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in his address to participants of the 6th Caspian Business Forum “Connectivity, Finance, and Energy along the Middle Corridor” held in New York and organized by the Caspian Policy Center.
In turn, Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, stated at the forum that cargo volumes along the Middle Corridor are expected to exceed 50 million tons. To achieve this, Azerbaijan is making additional investments. “The cargo handling capacity of the Baku Port is 25 million tons per year, and work is underway to expand these capabilities,” Hajiyev emphasized. He also highlighted that since 2020, construction has been underway on the railway from Baku to Zangilan and the Armenian border, which is scheduled for completion by mid-2026. “Work is also progressing on the 42-kilometer section of the Zangezur Corridor located in Armenia, with the participation of our U.S. partners. The third segment covers Nakhchivan, where additional investments are also being made. We invite other international partners, including European countries, to cooperate,” Hajiyev added.
The strong interest in the Middle Corridor is more than understandable. Cargo traffic between Europe and the East is rising and will continue to grow in the foreseeable future. Forecasts suggesting that the “Chinese economic miracle” has exhausted itself and that its growth potential has been depleted have turned out to be, to put it mildly, inaccurate. China continues to increase its exports, including to Europe. Moreover, the practice of producing goods in China under European brands remains in high demand. Cheap, skilled labor in the global division of labor is still attractive — and this is exactly what China offers its partners.
Significant changes are also taking place in Central Asia. The “one-window system,” where nearly all foreign economic activity was tied to Russia, is becoming a thing of the past. The region is rapidly opening up to the world, to investment, and to cooperation. This naturally increases the demand for trade routes in their physical sense — especially today, against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and the closure of transport corridors through Russia and Belarus. And this, unfortunately, is expected to last for a long time.
It is no coincidence that the success of the Middle Corridor is linked to the situational “locomotive deal” between the U.S. and Kazakhstan, clearly aimed at the Trans-Caspian route. At the same time, the construction of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway is underway, which will further boost transport flows along the Middle Corridor.
There is another important aspect. Azerbaijan was a vital link and “hub” of trade routes as far back as the era of the historic Silk Road. Later, as a periphery of Russia and then the USSR, the country was largely cut off from global logistics. Today, after the Soviet collapse, Azerbaijan is leveraging every opportunity. A crucial role in this has been played by the “infrastructure revolution” carried out under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, at a time when even the boldest analysts could not have predicted the Ukrainian war and the related logistics crisis.
It is worth recalling that Azerbaijan undertook a deep modernization of its highways and railways. The Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway was built, enabling the Middle Corridor to function even without the Zangezur link. A new trade port and ferry crossing were constructed. Azerbaijan now boasts its own shipbuilding complex and the largest commercial fleet in the Caspian Sea. All this work was not achieved overnight, nor was it done for the short term. This is what political foresight looks like.
Today, the significance of the Middle Corridor is being revealed in new ways. It is becoming an important geopolitical factor. For China, it is a result of the Belt and Road Initiative. For Central Asian states, it is a “window to Europe” in every sense. For Azerbaijan, it is a vital element of economic diversification. Most importantly, throughout history, global attention has always focused on the security of trade routes. Just over five years ago, political circles in Yerevan still spoke of “advancing to Yevlakh,” “cutting railways and pipelines,” and even “drinking tea in Baku.” Today, Azerbaijan has won the war, the peace process follows an Azerbaijani “road map,” and, above all, international guarantees for the security of trade routes are beginning to take effect. President Ilham Aliyev’s political foresight is once again bearing fruit — and this is a long-term process.
Nurani
