BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 31. Enhancing the connections between the EU and Azerbaijan is particularly important today, in the context of the war in Ukraine, as it increases the importance of transport routes running south of Russia, such as the Middle Corridor, the European Commission told Trend.
"Part of this corridor is also going through Azerbaijan, notably through the port of Baku, on the shores of the Caspian Sea, as part of an extension of the Trans-European Transport network (TEN-T). This is why advancing transport cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan is instrumental in enhancing Azerbaijan's key role as a connectivity hub between Europe and Asia," said the Commission.
A source at the Commission said that as a follow-up to the study on sustainably transport connections with Central Asia, the EU is looking at organizing an Investors Forum in early 2024 in Brussels.
"The objective is to gather public and private stakeholders from the EU and Central Asia, who are interested in contributing to the efficient development of sustainable transport connections between the two regions."
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 corridors.
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.
EU-prepared study shows that the container traffic via the Middle Corridor, may reach 270,000 TEUs by 2040.
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