In the modern realities, the so-called Middle Corridor through Turkiye remains the safest route for transporting goods from China to Europe and the Middle East. This position is shared by a well-known Turkish expert in the field of security of the international economy and trade, Sefa Catal.

He said that the importance of the Middle Corridor, aimed at revitalizing the historical Silk Road [China, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkiye and further to Europe], was renewed against the background of the incident with the container ship The Ever Given, which blocked communication in the Suez Canal.

The Middle Corridor is a profitable alternative to the Northern Route [through Russia] and the Southern Corridor [through Iran], as it involves less geopolitical risks for Beijing, the expert is sure.

Faktyoxla Lab has tried to understand what is the importance of the Middle Corridor and what is the role of Azerbaijan on this route.

Let’s start with the fact that an international conference on the theme "Along the Middle Corridor: Geopolitics, Security and Economy" has been recently held in Baku. On the same day, November 25, Azerbaijan, Turkiye and Kazakhstan signed in Aktau a Roadmap for 2022-2027 for the development and operation of the Middle Corridor. The document was signed by the foreign ministers of the three countries.

The Middle Corridor serves to increase the flow of goods from China to Turkiye and to European countries, as well as in the opposite direction. The block train passing through this Corridor delivers goods to Europe from China in an average of 20-25 days, and this is one of the main advantages of this transport corridor.

So, what is the significance of the Middle Corridor?

- The corridor gathers around itself countries that understand that, regardless of the geopolitical alignment, security issues need to be addressed. It was geopolitical upheavals that caused the return of the Middle Corridor to the agenda. The significance of the project, launched back in 2017, increased dramatically in 2022 after the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine. For European companies that previously worked with Russia, it became necessary to find bypass routes to continue cargo transportation bypassing the territory of the Russian Federation. The best option was the Middle Corridor.

- This route will revive the economic and regional activities of the Central Asian states, which have long been on the margins of large trans-regional projects. The project will give a serious impetus to the development of transport and logistics infrastructure, including railway infrastructure in transit countries. Asian countries are looking for new transport links with Europe, and the Median Corridor is the best alternative for this.

- Europe, which has lost Russian transit, is also extremely interested in the implementation of this project. Thus, Chinese cargo, which traditionally always passed to Europe through Russia, is effectively transported today along the Middle Corridor.

- The commissioning of the Middle Corridor allows to eliminate the imbalance that has arisen due to the breakdown of the old supply chains. According to foreign experts, the Middle Corridor, after its full launch, may become more competitive compared to the Northern Corridor. This route is about 2,500 kilometers shorter, and, according to preliminary calculations, delivery by rail here will take a week less time than along the Northern route. Therefore, according to experts, the Middle Corridor will remain relevant even when the situation on the continent normalizes and the northern directions are restored. This route simply did not have the opportunity to show itself until now, because not all states along the route were ready for this.

- The corridor is very closely integrated with other transport projects, in particular with the North-South project. Conceptually, the Middle Corridor is an opportunity for European manufacturers to enter Central Asia.

As for Azerbaijan, the country, which is located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, has many advantages. The president of Azerbaijan mentioned this while speaking at the conference on November 25. Five years ago, in October 2017, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway was launched, without which it is impossible to imagine the East-West corridor today. In connection with what is happening on the continent, cargo transportation along the BTK has increased dramatically. With the growing demand for the route, it became necessary to solve the problems that still remained unresolved on the Georgian section of the BTK. Now the Azerbaijani side is investing in the expansion of the Georgian segment. Plans are being considered to expand the International Freight Trade Port of Alat, the largest in the Caspian Sea.

Besides:

- Azerbaijan plays an important role in the transport process between China and Europe, and the transport and logistics capabilities of the country are of great importance in international cargo transportation. Azerbaijan fully supports the transportation of goods from China to Europe and back by rail and other modes of transport.

- This corridor has become virtually uncontested, since the communications linking China and Europe through Russia do not work. Communications that connected Russia with the European direction do not work, either. Therefore, those arteries passing through Azerbaijan are very important and promising.

- Azerbaijan is making every effort to increase the capacity of the routes passing through its territory. New roads are being built, including within the Zangazur corridor, and existing facilities are being re-equipped. There are plans to increase the capacity of the Alat port, the BTK railway, etc.

Finally, the Middle Corridor has broad prospects, since many large players are interested in it. No interference can slow down its development.