BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 18. The European Union (EU) and China are accelerating the development of the Middle Corridor.
This was reported in a statement by the Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA).
The statement said that the EU launched a new transport accessibility platform in August 2026, which aims to connect Europe with Central Asia via the Black Sea and the South Caucasus. The EU, together with international financial institutions, plans to mobilize about 2 billion euro for the development of infrastructure in the Black Sea region and the South Caucasus.
According to the statement, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Koss noted that the volume of cargo transportation along the Trans-Caspian route could increase fivefold in the next 15 years.
The statement emphasized that the main participants in the corridor are Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.
"Kazakhstan has invested $35 billion in transport infrastructure over the past seven years and will continue to invest in the future to strengthen its role as a key link between China and Europe.
International financial institutions are also actively involved in the development of the Trans-Caspian route. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the International Finance Corporation are financing the construction of a 75-kilometer railway line in Kazakhstan, bypassing Almaty, for about $300 million. The country's road modernization program is worth $1.5 billion.
The capabilities of Kazakhstan's ports on the Caspian Sea have also been expanded. As a result of projects implemented in the ports of Aktau and Kuryk, their total cargo handling capacity has been increased to 21.6 million tons per year. In parallel, Azerbaijan and Georgia are working to increase the capacity of the Baku port and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which will facilitate the transportation of goods to Turkish and European markets.
Despite the development of infrastructure, the volume of cargo transportation through the Middle Corridor is still relatively low. In 2024, 4.5 million tons, and in 2025, 4.7 million tons of cargo were transported on the route. The target for 2030 is to increase this figure to 11 million tons.
For the European Union, the Middle Corridor is important in terms of transporting cargo from China via an alternative route to the Russian route. China, on the other hand, views this route as an opportunity to diversify its cargo supply routes to Europe and strengthen its economic influence in Central Asia and the South Caucasus," the statement pointed out.
The Middle Corridor is a transport and trade route connecting Asia with Europe through Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye. It serves as an alternative to the traditional Northern and Southern corridors and provides a land-based link between China and Europe.
