BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 23. The Middle
Corridor is an essential component of Eurasian connectivity
architecture, said Lasha Darsalia, Deputy Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Georgia.


He made the remarks during the seventh annual Caspian Business
Forum held by the Caspian Policy Center (CPC) in New York.


Darsalia highlighted Georgia’s efforts to strengthen its role as
a regional connectivity hub through economic and infrastructure
reforms and closer cooperation with neighboring countries,
international partners, financial institutions, and the private
sector. He also pointed to Georgia’s longstanding vision of
transforming the Black Sea into a space for greater connectivity
with the European Union.


“The Middle Corridor is not simply a trade route,” Darsalia
said. “The vision of interconnected prosperity is a statement that
we, the countries of the region, are ready to explore, not just as
transit points, but as partners and creators of the future.


The Middle Corridor is a transport and trade route passing
through a number of countries in the region and connecting Asia
with Europe. It serves as an alternative to the traditional
Northern and Southern Corridors. The route begins in China and runs
through the countries of Central Asia. It then crosses the Caspian
Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye, before reaching Europe. The
Middle Corridor is a land route that bypasses longer sea routes,
connecting eastern regions of Asia, including China, with
Europe.







The World Bank has highlighted the Middle Corridor’s potential
to support economic growth across the countries along its route by
facilitating trade, generating employment and encouraging new
business activity. According to the Bank’s 2024 report, a
combination of infrastructure investment and measures to improve
operational efficiency could halve transit times and triple trade
volumes along the corridor by 2030.


Azerbaijan is working with other countries participating in the
Middle Corridor to improve transport links, simplify border
procedures and expand the use of digital systems for exchanging
logistics data. Key infrastructure supporting the route includes
the Baku International Sea Trade Port, the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars
railway, the Alat Free Economic Zone and newly developing logistics
hubs.


The Baku Port is also undergoing expansion, with its annual
cargo-handling capacity expected to increase from 15 million tons
to 25 million tons.