The Middle Corridor and Azerbaijan
The Middle Corridor and Azerbaijan: Reframing Eurasian Connectivity Through Infrastructure and Peace
The Middle Corridor, officially known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), has emerged as one of the most strategic trade arteries linking Europe and Asia. It currently has an estimated infrastructure capacity of around 15 million tons and 160,000 TEUs. Ongoing infrastructure investments and regulatory reforms are projected to increase container volumes to up to 865,000 TEUs by 2040.
As global supply chains adapt to geopolitical uncertainty and the need for diversification, this corridor is gaining momentum as a reliable, efficient, and sustainable alternative to traditional maritime and northern land routes. At the center of this transformation stands Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan’s geographic position on the western shore of the Caspian Sea, along the historic Silk Road, places it at the crossroads of China–Europe and Europe–China trade flows, enabling the country to serve as a natural bridge between Asia and Europe. Recognizing this advantage, Azerbaijan has made connectivity a cornerstone of its national development strategy, investing heavily in transport, logistics, and trade facilitation.
The Port of Baku at Alat serves as the main Caspian gateway, enabling seamless maritime-rail transfers between Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan. The port’s expansion and modernization have significantly increased cargo-handling capacity and reduced transit times.
On land, the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway is a decisive link with 5 million tons capacity, connecting Azerbaijan directly to Turkey’s rail network and onward to Europe. Together with a modernized national railway system operated by Azerbaijan Railways, this infrastructure allows uninterrupted rail movement across the Caspian–Black Sea–Mediterranean corridor.
Azerbaijan’s stewardship of the Middle Corridor also carries regional significance. As transit volumes grow, the corridor creates shared economic interests among participating countries, encouraging cooperation and stability across the South Caucasus and Central Asia.
Central Asia and Azerbaijan today constitute a single geopolitical and geoeconomic region whose importance in the world is steadily increasing. Ethnic similarities, a common language, religion, and shared cultural and historical roots have effectively brought the C5+1 platform into a C6 concept. This integration also opens broader opportunities in the fields of regional security, trade, and energy.
In recent years, Azerbaijan has increased its investments to enhance the throughout capacity of the East–West transport corridor connecting Central Asian countries with Turkey via Azerbaijan. These projects will contribute to improving logistics efficiency and reducing costs.
In particular, a diversified connectivity system has been established between Azerbaijan and Central Asia in terms of: an energy connection via the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan oil pipeline; maritime connectivity across the Caspian Sea; digital connectivity through the joint project to construct fiber-optic communication lines along the seabed of the Caspian Sea; land and railway connectivity through the planned opening of the Zangezur Corridor; and green energy connectivity through the Caspian–Black Sea–Europe Green Energy Corridor.
Through its diversified oil and gas pipelines, Azerbaijan plays a strategic role in connecting the Caspian region to international markets. Currently, Azerbaijan exports natural gas to 14 countries, including 10 in Europe. In terms of geographic coverage, Azerbaijan ranks first among countries exporting natural gas via pipelines.
Beyond economics and logistics, Azerbaijan’s connectivity agenda carries profound political significance—particularly in the context of the normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Washington accords between Azerbaijan and Armenia, hosted at the White House witnessed by the President Donald Trump, mark a landmark moment expected to bring peace, stability, and prosperity to the region after more than three decades. This breakthrough has opened a new era in the South Caucasus and is set to strengthen regional economic opportunities, including enhancing the efficiency of the Middle Corridor. Peace offers a chance to redraw the region’s economic map.
As a very strategic part of the Middle Corridor – the Zangezur Corridor, envisioned not merely as a transport route but as a confidence-building mechanism capable of transforming long-standing rivalry into pragmatic cooperation. Reopening railways and highways through Zangezur would reconnect Nakhchivan with Azerbaijan’s main area, while also providing Armenia with access to regional and international transit networks.
Once operational, it will create new logistical opportunities along the East–West routes—a win-win link for both Europe and Asia, while Azerbaijan and Armenia stand to benefit significantly as transits. Meanwhile, Azerbaijani-origin oil products have been supplied to Armenia through Georgia, demonstrating that pragmatic economic interactions emerge in South Caucasus. By restoring uninterrupted transport links across the region, the Zangezur Corridor embodies the principle that economic interdependence can underpin lasting peace.
In an era where connectivity equals competitiveness, Azerbaijan’s vision and investments are transforming geography into strategic advantage—placing the country as the linchpin of the Middle Corridor.
