Central Asian Trade Corridor Gains Interest Amid Regional Tensions

Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, China and Singapore do business within the Trains-Caspian International Transport Route. (TITR photo) The Middle Corridor is a trade route between China and the West via the Caspian Sea, passing through Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia to the Black Sea. Trains-Caspian International Transport Route, headquartered in Astana, Kazakhstan, consists of dozens of transport and logistics companies, including ports, vessels, railways and terminals. (TITR photo) FILE - This photo taken on May 2, 2018, shows a view on the port on the shores of the Caspian Sea near Turkmenbashi city, Turkmenistan.

The emergence of a Middle Corridor — a transit network linking Asia with European markets by way of Central Asia, the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus — is rapidly gaining momentum as an alternative to Russia-controlled routes.