BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 10. One of the leading think tanks in the US, the Caspian Policy Center (CPC), has devoted a separate article to the development of the Middle Corridor, Trend reports.
Nicholas Castillo, author of the article "EU Introduces New Middle Corridor Coordination Platform," points out that the EU is assisting in the launch of a new coordination platform for the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), demonstrating Europe's interest in Central Asia and the "broader Caspian region."
“The coordination platform will aim to promote the Middle Corridor and coordinate efforts to implement priority physical and soft infrastructure projects in Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Türkiye. EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen described the platform as the “flagship linkage” of the EU's Global Gateway investment program. In a speech in Ashgabat in early October, Urpilainen emphasized the EU's commitment to connectivity, which she described as “the core of the EU's Global Gateway Strategy as well as a key element of our partnership with Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Türkiye,” the CPC expert notes.
The author is confident that there is an increased interest in the EU in the Middle Corridor.
“In January 2024, the EU's Global Gateway Program announced a 10 billion euro investment to connect Central Asian countries... However, the October meeting in Turkmenistan with EU participation demonstrated the inclusion of the wider Caspian region. Representatives from Europe and Central Asia, the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, as well as officials from Georgia, Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and Armenia attended the summit on October 3-4 in Ashgabat," the author notes.
According to him, the South Caucasus and Türkiye are crucial for the Middle Corridor, forming the last link in the route before reaching European markets.
The expert believes that the October summit on the Middle Corridor in Ashgabat "demonstrates the strengthening of Europe's role in the region for many years to come."
To note, the Middle Corridor, or TITR, has been developing for ten years, but the last two years have been particularly active due to new geopolitical realities.
In 2023, it handled a total of 2.7 million tons of cargo, and in the first nine months of 2024, it has already handled 3.4 million tons. Plans for 2024 of 4.2 million tons are likely to be exceeded.