BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 20. The demand for transport routes through the South Caucasus increases significantly against the backdrop of growing number of countries looking for ways to transport goods bypassing Russia, Trend reports.
The South Caucasus is a territory that has historically opened access to the European market for Asian countries and vice versa. The important Trans-Eurasian corridor, the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), passes through the South Caucasus.
As more and more countries refuse to cooperate with Russia, the Governments of both European and Asian countries that used to transport cargo through Russia, are beginning to consider alternative routes.
For example, during the negotiations held between Kazakhstan and Latvia, the possibilities of reorienting freight from Russia to the Latvian ports of Riga, Venstpils and Liepaja were addressed.
While commenting on this issue for Trend, Research Consultant at Carnegie Moscow Center Temur Umarov noted that amidst Russia's growing international isolation, the demand for transportation through the South Caucasus will grow.
“In general, it's already clear that many transport companies are looking for other ways to replace the transport hubs provided by the Russian territory,” Umarov said.
According to him, absolutely all routes around the country, including through the territory of the South Caucasus, are becoming attractive.
“Transportation by the South Caucasus is becoming more in demand for other countries, and the countries of Central Asia, particularly Kazakhstan are no exception. I think a lot of things will now be reoriented specifically to the South Caucasus, given that almost 90 percent of logistics things were tied up for Kazakhstan in Russia,” Umarov emphasized.
He noted that against this background, other Central Asian countries will begin to actively review the possibility of freight traffic through the South Caucasus.
“China will be more interested in the South Caucasus. The South Caucasus' role as a transit hub is growing. We have no idea how much this role will increase and whether this route will turn into the most important transit route for all of Eurasia, minus Russia. However, alternatives don't come to mind,” Umarov stated.