BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 12. Türkiye would like to create synergy between the Middle Corridor and neighboring geographies, said Zafer Ateş, Director General for Energy, Environment, and Transboundary Waters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye.
“The Caspian is more than a region of hydrocarbon resources. We have so many opportunities for transport as well; and, therefore, we are carrying out many projects with our partners in the region. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is the backbone of the Middle Corridor. As Türkiye, we support the TRIPP initiative...[which] would add another dimension to the Middle Corridor, and enhance its competitiveness,” he said, addressing the 10th anniversary Trans-Caspian Forum, held by the Caspian Policy Center in Washington, DC on June 10.
The Middle Corridor is a transport and trade route that passes through a number of countries in the region and connects Asia with Europe. It serves as an alternative to the traditional Northern and Southern Corridors.
The route begins in China and runs through the countries of Central Asia. It then crosses the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye, before reaching Europe. The Middle Corridor is a land route that bypasses longer sea routes, connecting the eastern regions of Asia, including China, with Europe.
Earlier, Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country will continue to support the development of the Middle Corridor.
“The importance of the Middle Corridor, which passes through the Caspian Sea and serves as a modern version of the Silk Road, is growing every day. Together with Kazakhstan and other partners, we will continue to promote the development of this corridor to expand cargo transportation,” Erdogan said during a joint press conference with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev following talks in Astana.
According to him, Türkiye aims to strengthen connectivity across the region stretching from the Mediterranean to Central Asia.
In April 2026, an agreement was signed to finance the Istanbul North Rail Crossing Project (INRAIL) to strengthen Türkiye’s transport connectivity and develop the Middle Corridor. INRAIL project is aimed at eliminating one of the key “bottlenecks” of the Middle Corridor, the crossing over the Bosphorus. The project aims to increase the railways’ capacity from 3 million to 50 million tons per year.
