World Bank: Azerbaijan participating in Middle Corridor projects worth $3.2B

The total cost of the 16 highest-priority and largest-scale infrastructure projects located along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) reaches $25.1 billion, Report informs, citing the World Bank's update titled "Integration: World-Class Trade Logistics along the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor."

Of this amount, the railway sector accounts for $22.5 billion.

Approximately 75% of these 16 projects (representing 85% of total expenditures) have already entered the implementation phase or are in preparation for an imminent launch. The most large-scale initiatives include: an overland railway crossing over the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul ($8.28 billion, ongoing), the construction of the Uzbekistan-Kyrgyzstan-China railway ($4.7 billion, ongoing), a railway connection between Azerbaijan and Türkiye through the southern territory of Armenia ($2.7 billion), the modernization of the Divrigi-Kars-Georgian border railway line ($1.6 billion, ongoing), the construction of the Moyinty-Kyzylorda/Kyrgyzstan ($1.4 billion, ongoing) and Bakhty-Ayagoz railway lines with a border checkpoint ($1.2 billion, ongoing), the construction of the Anaklia port in Georgia ($1.2 billion, ongoing), as well as the expansion of port capacities in Baku ($500 million) and Aktau ($310 million).

Thus, the 16 key projects of the Middle Corridor feature crucial infrastructure initiatives involving the direct participation of Azerbaijan, totaling $3.2 billion.

Although Armenia is not currently a TITR host country, it is assumed that it will establish direct physical transport links in the 2030s. Given that the analytical horizon of this report covers the period from 2023 to 2040, Armenia was included in the calculations, the World Bank notes.