Middle Corridor’s importance as transit route rising fast - EU

Photo: World Bank

BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. The Middle Corridor’s importance as a regional transit route is rapidly increasing, reads the “Trade Study Report – Trade Sector Development in Azerbaijan: Policies, Constraints and Opportunities”, issued by the EU.

The report reveals that the total volume of cargo transported along the Middle Corridor increased from 586,000 tons in 2021 to 1.867 million tons in 2025.

“This is an increase of approximately 3.2 times in four years and indicates that the importance of the Middle Corridor as a regional transit route is rapidly increasing,” reads the report.

The authors of the report point out that the volume of container transportation has also shown an overall upward trend. Although the container turnover, which was 25,200 TEU in 2021, increased to 33,600 TEU in 2022, it decreased to 20,500 TEU in 2023. However, a sharp increase was recorded in subsequent years. The volume was 56,500 TEU in 2024 and 76,900 TEU in 2025. Thus, the volume of container transportation in 2025 increased by almost 3 times compared to 2021.

“Overall, the cargo and especially container transportation along the Middle Corridor has been rapidly expanding in recent years. This dynamic is one of the key indicators that demonstrate the strengthening of Azerbaijan's role as a transit and logistics center, as well as the increasing demand for multimodal transport and container transportation in the region,” reads the report.

The authors noted that the rapid growth of cargo and container traffic along the Middle Corridor in 2021–2025 is also explained by global geopolitical processes.

“In particular, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has significantly increased the demand for alternative routes between Europe and Asia bypassing Russian territory. As a result, the strategic importance of the Middle Corridor has increased. At the same time, security problems in the Red Sea and disruptions in international shipping routes have prompted logistics companies and shippers to diversify their routes, which has increased interest in land and multimodal transport corridors connecting Asia and Europe, particularly the Middle Corridor. Given that Iran is one of the main participants in the International North–South Corridor, it can be assumed that the security situation in the Persian Gulf in 2026 may stimulate additional growth in cargo traffic along the Middle Corridor. In general, the results show that the total volume of freight transportation in Azerbaijan increased significantly during the observed period. Particularly, road and sea transport were the main driving forces of this growth. At the same time, a moderate increase was observed in rail transport, while air transport was the only mode of transport to record a decrease,” the report says.

The Middle Corridor is a multimodal trade and transport route connecting Asia and Europe through Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye. The route begins in China and runs through Central Asia before crossing the Caspian Sea and continuing through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye to European markets.

The Middle Corridor is being developed as an alternative to traditional northern and southern transport routes, providing connectivity between Asian markets, including China, and Europe. The World Bank says targeted investments and reforms along the corridor could significantly increase trade volumes and reduce travel times by 2040.