Alasdair Ross: Middle Corridor becomes strategic artery of Eurasian connectivity

Over the past several years, the Middle Corridor - stretching from Central Asia across the Caspian Sea, through the South Caucasus and onward to Southeast Europe - has evolved from a niche route into a strategic artery of Eurasian connectivity.

As Report informs, this was stated by Alasdair Ross, global affairs editor at The Economist, while speaking at a panel during the Baku Global Forum.

"Russia's war in Ukraine, sanctions and the continuing rupture of ties (between Europe and Russia – ed.) have forced governments and businesses to rethink established trade and energy routes. Now the war in the Middle East has blocked trade routes in the south, and trans-Caspian connectivity has rapidly risen on the agenda in Brussels, regional capitals and border regions," he said.

The editor noted that rail freight volumes along this route have sharply increased since 2022 (albeit from a low base) and now average several million tonnes per year, while plans exist to increase these figures severalfold by 2030.

According to him, energy and connectivity issues have now become top priorities: "Azerbaijan has committed to roughly doubling gas exports to the European Union to 20 billion cubic meters per year by 2027."

At the same time, the editor stressed that projects such as the planned submarine electricity cable across the Black Sea and the green energy corridor from Azerbaijan and Georgia to Romania and Hungary signal a long-term shift toward integrating renewable energy sources into Europe's overall energy mix.

"Energy security and regional stability are no longer separate priorities. They are the foundation for shared prosperity," he said.