BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 29. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan play a pivotal role in the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, or Middle Corridor) due to their unique geographical advantages, Ding Jianwei, Senior Fellow of the Chinese Taihe Institute, told Trend.
"Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are the Middle Corridor's most important countries. As two vital engines of economic development in the South Caucasus and Central Asia, both countries play an indispensable and important role in the TITR due to their unique geographical advantages," he said.
According to him, the Middle Corridor has become increasingly important since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
"In order to take full advantage of the favorable transit conditions of Central Asian countries and increase trans-Caspian cargo transportation, Azerbaijan is intensively interacting with them. Central Asian countries strive to strengthen mutual support, win-win cooperation in international logistics, stay together as one team, and accelerate the high-quality development of the Middle Corridor," Ding Jianwei said.
He pointed out that in recent years, Azerbaijan has been developing a non-oil economy, paying special attention to achieving economic transformation and developing a green economy.
As Ding Jianwei noted, at present, accelerating the development of transport and logistics has become one of the important engines of rapid economic development for Azerbaijan.
"Since last year, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and other Central Asian countries have taken full advantage of the potential of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, worked hard to expand combined land and sea transport, consolidated and improved the comprehensive transport and logistics level of the Middle Corridor, and built an interconnected global logistics and transport network," he said.
The Middle Corridor is a transportation and trade route that connects Asia and Europe, passing through several countries in the region. It is an alternative route to the traditional Northern Corridor and Southern Corridor.
The route starts in China and crosses Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It then passes through the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye before reaching Europe.
The Middle Corridor offers a land route that connects the eastern parts of Asia, including China, with Europe, bypassing the longer maritime routes.