President Aliyev Says Azerbaijan Aims to Boost Middle Corridor’s Potential

President Ilham Aliyev highlighted Azerbaijan’s significant role in leveraging the potential of the East-West Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), also known as the Middle Corridor, in regional transit cargo transportation.

President Aliyev’s remarks came on Wednesday at the 11th Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) held in Kyrgyzstan.

He said in the recent times, the volume of traffic along the TITR through Azerbaijan has increased significantly and Baku has been boosting its investments for enhancing the capacity of this corridor.

“From January to September 2024, transit shipments with member and observer states increased by about 15 percent compared to the same period in 2023. Several projects aimed at digitalizing the Middle Corridor and simplifying trade are currently in progress. These projects will increase logistical efficiency and reduce costs,” President Aliyev noted.

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at the summit that strengthening transport and logistics ties within the OTS is a key priority, including the utilization of the TITR’s potential.

"Therefore, it is essential to conclude an agreement that will guarantee the sustainable development of freight transit along this route. I anticipate that the member nations will endorse this initiative," Tokayev stated.

The Middle Corridor covers roughly 4,250 kilometers of railway and approximately 500 kilometers of sea routes. The goal of this corridor is to facilitate access for Chinese and Central Asian goods to the European markets via the Caspian Sea, Türkiye, and the Black Sea.

In addition to its efficiency, the Middle Corridor benefits from a more favorable climate, reducing travel time by 15 days compared to traditional sea routes. It also presents substantial opportunities for cargo movement across Asia, enabling goods to reach the Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean region through integrated port connections in Türkiye.

In May 2024, the OTS members finalized the ratification of an agreement to establish a simplified customs corridor on the TITR. This initiative aims to integrate the information systems of Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.

According to data from the Kazakhstan Railways, in the first nine months of 2024, cargo volume along the TITR surged by 70 percent to 3.4 million tons.

The container cargo volumes tripled in January-September this year compared to the same period last year, reaching 34,600 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit). Additionally, container transit from China grew by more than 20 times since the beginning of this year.

In January-October 2024, the Azerbaijan Railways transported around 6.3 million tons of transit cargo, including on the Middle Corridor. In October of this year, the volume of transit freight surpassed 614,000 tons, exceeding last year’s figures by 14 percent.

The first container block-train was delivered from the Chinese port of Xi'an to Baku in just 11 days in March this year. On average, block-trains are delivered from China to Azerbaijan within 8-10 days and to the Georgian ports within 12 days. By the end of this year, about 300 container block-trains are planned to be sent from China via the Middle Corridor, which is equivalent to a cargo volume of about 30,000 TEU.

In September, Baku hosted a conference to discuss reviving the branch of the Middle Corridor emerging on the eastern side of the Caspian Sea through China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye, combining railways, maritime routes and highways.

To effectively organize the coordination along this route and its overall development, the participating nations agreed to establish a collegial body, known as the Eurasian Transport Route International Association.