“In general, transport routes are interconnected, and events occurring in any part of the world affect the overall network. The causes forming this impact can be diverse—namely, wars, attacks on commercial vessels, or, in recent times, the impact of climate change seriously affecting transport on the Danube, or another example being the decrease of water in the Panama Canal under the influence of climate, which impacts the percentage of freight transport.”
The expert noted that the Russia-Ukraine war, attacks in the Red Sea, and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz have brought alternative multimodal routes to the agenda:
“One of them is the Middle Corridor. The Middle Corridor has been operating for almost nearly 10 years, and due to these crises, it also has an impact, meaning, of course, that cargo transportation is increasing.”
According to R. Agamirzayev, in order to accept large cargo flows, attention must first be paid to infrastructure and the capabilities of the fleet in the Caspian Sea:
“When talking about bottlenecks, there is a need here to increase the number of vessels in the Caspian Sea in relation to large cargo flows, and work is being done in this direction.”
He stated that the importance of the Middle Corridor does not consist solely of the volume of cargo transported. The transportation of fertilizers, grain, non-ferrous metals, oil products, uranium, and containerized cargo via the route also increases its role in food and energy security.
The expert emphasized that the throughput capabilities of the route could expand in the coming years:
“For us, the multimodal route—meaning from China to Kazakhstan, from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan, and from Azerbaijan either to the Black Sea coast or via Baku-Tbilisi-Kars to Turkey, and for the near future, meaning I hope for ’29—transport capabilities will expand even further via the Zangezur corridor.”
R. Agamirzayev stated that the development of the Alat, Hovsan, and Zira ports, as well as ring roads that will allow cargo transportation without entering the city, will have a positive impact on Azerbaijan’s transit potential. According to him, the main issue is to retain a certain portion of the cargo flow directed to the country during a crisis on the route for the long term.
