MILAN, Italy, May 6. The Trans-Caspian route is strategically important to serve the CAREC regions' non-energy trade within the region and with other partners, Yevgeniy Zhukov, Director General of the Central and West Asia Department at ADB, said, addressing the seminar on Trans-Caspian Connectivity: Unlocking Transport and Energy Corridors held as part of the 58th Annual Meeting, Trend’s special correspondent reports from Milan.
He noted that only a small fraction of non-energy trade moves through the trans-Caspian route.
“In 2023, about one-third of the non-energy trade of Central Asia was with Europe, the Mediterranean, and other markets accessible via Georgia's Black Sea ports and Türkiye,” he said.
Zhukov pointed out that CAREC Corridor 2 could potentially serve a larger portion of CCA's non-energy trade with the trade partners in the West.
The Middle Corridor is a transportation and trade route that connects Asia and Europe, passing through several countries in the region. It is an alternative route to the traditional Northern Corridor and Southern Corridor.
The route starts in China and crosses Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It then passes through the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye before reaching Europe. The Middle Corridor offers a land route that connects the eastern parts of Asia, including China, with Europe, bypassing the longer maritime routes.