ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 5. The support for the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, or Middle Corridor) serves the interests of both the EU and Slovakia, a source in the Embassy of Slovakia in Kazakhstan told Trend reports.
"Kazakhstan has significant transport potential due to its favorable geographical location at the crossroads between Asia and Europe. The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route passes through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan and Georgia, where it branches off to Türkiye or across the Black Sea to Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine," the source said.
According to the source, in the present complicated situation caused by war in Ukraine, the Middle Corridor could be an interesting alternative for transporting goods from Asia to Europe, bypassing Russia.
"It is therefore in the interest of both the EU and Slovakia to support this transport project," the source said.
As the source noted, the EU wants to strengthen cooperation on transport connectivity - through the Global Gateway - and support the development of alternative transport corridors that bypass the territory of Russia.
"Transport links through Central Asia have the potential to handle more land trade between Europe and Asia if key issues, bottlenecks, lack of capacity and other connectivity problems, including soft connectivity such as customs, border crossing and documentation, are adequately addressed," the source said.
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.