Political Scientist: Geopolitical trends boost Middle Corridor’s growth

The current geopolitical landscape is fostering the rapid development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), also known as the Middle Corridor, Kazakh political scientist Talgat Kaliyev told Report.

According to Kaliyev, geopolitical tensions, including the Russia-Ukraine war and shifting US trade policies, are accelerating trade between China and the European Union.

“This strengthens the importance of TITR,” he noted.

The expert emphasized that cargo delivery from China to Europe currently takes approximately two weeks, but infrastructure improvements and the integration of digital solutions could significantly reduce transit time.

“At present, transportation from East to West takes 14 days. However, expanding port capacities along the route and introducing digital systems will help streamline and accelerate the process,” Kaliyev explained.

He also highlighted that the growing interest in the Middle Corridor is attracting major investment for its modernization.

“We’re talking about funding in the range of $27–$30 billion. It’s a substantial figure, but not an unrealistic one,” he said.

Kaliyev added that this topic will be one of the main points of discussion at the upcoming European Union-Central Asia summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.