Although the Middle Corridor (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route) is mostly presented as a simple transit line between China and Europe, this route holds much greater economic significance for regional countries, especially Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Azerbaijani transport and logistics expert Rauf Agamirzayev shared his views on the current status of the project, the role of the Caspian Sea, and the prospects of cooperation between the two countries.
Logistics Dislikes Slogans, It Loves Precision
Как сообщает mor-vesti.az the expert notes that interest in the Middle Corridor is increasing year by year. Over the past seven years, the volume of transportation along the route has grown more than 5-fold, reaching 4.5 million tons, while this year’s target is 5.2 million tons. By 2029, container traffic is expected to increase approximately fourfold, reaching 300,000 TEUs. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, 125 container trains passed through Kazakhstan, which is 34.4% more compared to the corresponding period of last year.
According to R. Agamirzayev, against the backdrop of these figures, the main issue is that countries should not settle for being a mere transit territory:
“If terminals, warehouses, maintenance services, repair facilities, processing areas, insurance, and digital solutions are formed around transportation, this becomes an entirely different economy. Logistics does not like slogans; it loves precision. Business always chooses the route where timeframes, tariffs, and responsibilities are clearer.”
The Infrastructure Power of the Two Coasts
To synchronize the speed and throughput capacity of the route, major infrastructure projects are being implemented on both coasts:
- The Kazakh side: A joint container hub is being established at the Aktau port with China’s “Lianyungang Port” company, which will increase the terminal’s capacity from 70,000 TEUs to 300,000 TEUs. Meanwhile, the Kuryk port has already increased its cargo handling capacity to 2.45 million tons. The country plans to increase its commercial fleet in the Caspian from 18 to 32 vessels by 2028.
- The Azerbaijani side: The Baku International Sea Trade Port targets a record 120,000 TEUs in container processing this year. The second phase of expansion will increase the port’s capacity from 15 million tons to 25 million tons, and its container capacity to 500,000 TEUs. Additionally, thanks to modernization, the annual throughput capacity of the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway has been raised to 5 million tons.
One of the corridor’s greatest advantages is speed — cargo from the Chinese city of Xi’an reaches the EU border in 13–14 days. To maintain this speed, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are expanding digital customs and electronic document management systems.
Trade, Energy, and Digitalization
The Middle Corridor is also reshaping the structure of regional trade. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan aim to bring their mutual trade turnover to 1 billion dollars (in the first quarter of 2026, this indicator stood at 81.1 million dollars). Kazakhstan exports grain, agricultural, and metallurgical products to Azerbaijan, while Azerbaijan exports pipes, petrochemicals, and construction materials.
At the same time, Kazakhstan plans to increase the volume of oil it exports via the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline by 400,000 tons this year, bringing it to 1.6 million tons. Alongside transport, projects like the “green energy corridor” across the bottom of the Caspian Sea (which Uzbekistan has also joined) and the 380-kilometer “Digital Silk Way” subsea fiber-optic communication line project, which will connect digital networks, are also being executed.
According to the expert, geographical position alone does not generate revenue; revenue is secured by functional infrastructure, swift decisions, and business confidence. In this sense, the Caspian is no longer a border, but a shared opportunity shaping the new logistics map of Eurasia.
