Azerbaijan: Cargo Transportation Along Middle Corridor Grows Constantly

“Despite the difficulties of the global economic crisis, consequences of armed conflicts and pandemics, cargo transportation along the Middle Corridor has grown significantly over the last decade thanks to the transport and logistics projects implemented under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev,” told international media Rauf Veliyev, president of the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ASCO).

Between 2015 and 2024, the number of trucks and rail cars of various types transported by ships and ferries increased by 102.4%, from 38,079 to 77,071 units. The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), commonly known as the Middle Corridor, connects China to the European Union territory via Central Asia, the Caucasus, Turkey, and Eastern Europe, with a multimodal infrastructure combining rail transport, ferries on the Caspian and Black Seas, and cargo terminals in countries such as China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey. The TITR corridor allows goods from China to Europe to be delivered in 20-25 days, offering a competitive alternative for international trade. The increase in the flow of goods along this route further strengthens Azerbaijan’s strategic role in global transportation.

Before the conflict in Ukraine, 86% of overland trade between Europe and China passed through Russia along the so-called Northern Route, a series of railroads stretching from China’s northern border to Belarus and on to mainland Europe. However, EU sanctions against Moscow have made the northern route virtually impassable to global trade.

As an alternative to Russia, which for its part is reorienting its trade towards Asian countries by building the Southern Corridor that will pass through Azerbaijan itself, Iran, and up to the Indian port of Mumbai, the EU hopes to reduce its dependence on Russian territory by investing in the development of the Middle Corridor, which partly replicates the ancient Silk Road and is part of China’s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative, known as the New Silk Road.