BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 5. Uzbekistan’s integration into the Middle Corridor is likely to encourage the country to deepen its cooperation with neighbors, most notably Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, Felix Chang, a Senior Fellow at the US Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Asia Program, told Trend.
“To ensure the viability of the Turkmen-Uzbekistan route, all three nations must collaborate to complete logistics and transportation infrastructure as well as streamline customs and tariffs across their borders. This type of partnership has already begun. Uzbekistan even took the lead in convening a meeting of delegates from Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan in October 2023 to explore how they could speed up progress toward an agreement to develop the Middle Corridor,” the expert said.
Chang, however, noted that for the portion of the Middle Corridor through Uzbekistan to be successful as an Eurasian-trade conduit, it will have to offer services that are competitive, in terms of cost and time, with those offered by the portion of the Middle Corridor through Kazakhstan.
“After all, Uzbekistan's infrastructure efforts will only pay off if Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan make similar infrastructure investments. Turkmenistan will need to make a significant investment to improve Turkmenbashi's rail-to-ship capacity, which multimodal goods will rely on to traverse the Caspian Sea smoothly,” the analyst explained.
Chang stated that Uzbekistan is likely hoping to expand the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan route to include Iran, resulting in a new potential outlet in the Persian Gulf.
The Middle Corridor, a transportation and commerce route that runs through several nations in the region, connects Asia and Europe. It is a viable alternative to the traditional Northern and Southern Corridors.
It begins in China and travels through Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It then flows across the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey before reaching the European continent.
This crucial Middle Corridor provides a land-based link between eastern Asia, particularly China, and Europe, providing a shorter route than lengthy sea approaches.
