ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 12. The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, or Middle Corridor) also ensures an increase in cargo transportation volumes through Kazakhstan's seaports, said Transport Minister Marat Karabayev during a government meeting, Trend reports.
Cargo transportation along the Middle Corridor totaled around 2.5 million tons, which is twice as much as the same period in 2022. The route's export of Kazakh items grew threefold.
As the minister mentioned, there is also a rise in imports. This demonstrates European corporations' interest in TITR.
"The President of Kazakhstan has assigned the task of tripling transportation volumes along the TITR. To that purpose, a road map was agreed upon with Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey, under which each nation takes steps to improve its own transportation infrastructure simultaneously," the minister added.
According to him, together with Kazakh exporters and large international transport and logistics companies, such as Maersk, Cosco Shipping, and PSA, an analysis of the cargo base potentially oriented to the route is being carried out.
Based on the results of the analysis, it will be possible to see the full picture of the Middle Corridor load for the next 5 years.
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.