OMM Redaksiyası
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has called for closer integration of regional infrastructure at a meeting of the foreign ministers of Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan in Avaza, Turkmenistan.
According to Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bayramov stressed that digitizing transit processes is essential to maximizing cargo flows.
The Middle Corridor, also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, carries goods from China to Türkiye via Central Asia, the Caspian Sea and the South Caucasus. It offers an alternative to the Northern Corridor, which crosses Russia, and southern maritime routes through the Suez Canal and Red Sea.
Azerbaijan lies at the heart of the corridor: cargo enters the country across the Caspian Sea from Turkmenistan or Kazakhstan, then travels west toward Georgia.
Middle Corridor projects and economic potential
A World Bank report released last week estimated that the Middle Corridor could add $1.3 billion to Azerbaijan’s gross domestic product. Azerbaijan is involved in initiatives to upgrade the corridor, valued at $3.2 billion.
One project involves expanding the Port of Alat near Baku. Once the work is completed, the port is expected to handle 500,000 containers a year. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which connects Azerbaijan with Georgia and Türkiye, was upgraded in 2024.
Bayramov also noted Azerbaijan’s full participation in the Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia. He said this participation reflects a qualitatively new stage in relations, grounded in historical ties and shared strategic interests.
Bayramov also spoke about a new regional connectivity model built on the digitization of transit and strategic partnership between Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in the production and transmission of green energy.
A statement by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said the minister expressed concern over falling water levels in the Caspian and Aral seas and called for a scientific approach, information sharing and stronger regional cooperation.
