Middle Corridor expands with PRC’s growing role and TRIPP agreement

On August 7, China Railway Container Transport Corp. Ltd (CRCT) joined the Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd, a joint railway venture of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Georgia established in 2023, to facilitate the development of the corridor by coordinating the cooperation of the railway companies of the three countries . The decision was taken unanimously during a trilateral meeting of the leading representatives of the railway agencies of the venture members in Baku. The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) involvement could further increase the capacity of the Middle Corridor amid a strained situation along both northern trans-Russia and southern trans-Iran routes. During their meeting in Baku, the venture members reviewed the performance of Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd over the first seven months of 2025. They celebrated the rapid increase in cargo flows between the PRC and Azerbaijan. In the first seven months of 2025, 225 trains have arrived in Azerbaijan, compared to 287 block trains recorded in 2024. The total is expected to surpass 400 block trains by the end of the year, with container traffic following a similar trajectory. In the first seven months of 2025, 24,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) were transported, which is approximately double the volume registered during the same period in 2024. CRCT’s involvement in the Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd adds to the list of shareholders within this corridor. It indicates that the PRC is showing an increasing interest in influencing the future evolution of this transportation route. With global supply chains changing and the demand for secure trade routes growing, Beijing’s involvement increases the weight of this project. The PRC’s decision to join the Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd. coincides with progress in the Zangezur corridor and a planned transportation passage between mainland Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, traversing the southern territory of Armenia. A day after the aforementioned Baku meeting of the Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd., an agreement was reached in Washington between Armenia and Azerbaijan, mediated by the United States, over the Zangezur corridor, which was rebranded as the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) . The three countries agreed on the fundamental conditions of the use of this corridor. On September 4, it was reported that a delegation from the United States will arrive soon in Yerevan to discuss various aspects of the TRIPP, including technical and political elements, as well as the volume of investments, priorities, and the timeline for the start of construction works. Türkiye has also jumped into the efforts to expedite the realization of the Zangezur corridor project. On August 22, Türkiye launched construction of the Kars-Iğdır-Aralık-Dilucu railway, a 224-kilometer (approximately 140-mile) line along the border with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. The railway connecting the TRIPP with Türkiye’s railway network will be a critical part of the Middle Corridor. At the groundbreaking ceremony for the railway, Turkish Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu emphasized that the 224-kilometer line, supported by 2.4 billion euros ($2.84 billion) in external funding, will be constructed as a double-track electrified railway. It will handle 15 million tons of freight and 5.5 million passengers each year. According to Uraloğlu, the Zangezur Corridor is expected to be fully operational within five years. Once completed, it will reduce the transportation time from the PRC to Europe from 18 days to 14. The corridor will also closely integrate Eastern Anatolia into the Eurasian trade network. Uraloğlu noted that this infrastructure project will strengthen the East–West corridor from Beijing to London, enhance Türkiye’s role as a regional logistics hub, and is expected to generate approximately 147.6 billion Turkish lira ($3.57 billion) in economic benefits over 30 years. Azerbaijan views both the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway and the planned Zangezur Corridor as key components of its long-term connectivity strategy. The BTK line, finished in 2017 and recently expanded to handle 5 million tons per year, serves as the backbone of the Middle Corridor, connecting the Caspian Sea to Türkiye and Europe. In parallel, Baku views the Zangezur Corridor as an alternative pathway to the BTK line and as a supportive transit route that can improve both east-west and north-south trade. During his interview with Al Arabia on August 27, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev discussed this prospect and dismissed claims that the TRIPP poses a threat to Russia and Iran. Aliyev stated: The route may run from Northern Europe through Russia into Azerbaijan. From there, it can pass through Zangezur into Nakhchivan, and from Nakhchivan, continue via the existing railway connection with Iran, ultimately reaching the Persian Gulf. Actually, the Zangazur Corridor will not only be an East-West transportation corridor, but also a North-South one. Thus, he asserted that Iran and Russia have no reason to oppose the TRIPP project and can benefit from it if they act constructively. These corridors are being developed alongside other regional projects, such as the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan railway, which will connect directly to the Caspian Sea and integrate into Azerbaijani routes. Together, they are expected to direct growing cargo flows toward Azerbaijan’s Caspian Port of Alat, which is currently being expanded to handle up to 25 million tons. With an estimated capacity of 15 million tons for the TRIPP corridor alone, Azerbaijan aims to become a gateway to the Caspian, where new continental routes meet before continuing west through the South Caucasus into Europe. The convergence of the TRIPP agreement, the PRC’s formal entry into Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd, and Türkiye’s launch of the Kars–Iğdır–Aralık–Dilucu railway’s construction reflects a geopolitical shift in Eurasian connectivity. Russia’s war against Ukraine, sanctions on Russia, and Western restrictions on Iran have sharply reduced the reliability of the northern and southern transport corridors, forcing regional actors to seek viable alternatives. The Middle Corridor is emerging not only as a supplemental option but as an indispensable route linking Asia with Europe. For the PRC, it offers a way to hedge against geopolitical bottlenecks in its trade with Europe and strengthen its One Belt One Road initiative. For Türkiye and Azerbaijan, it consolidates their roles as key transit hubs on the east–west axis and serves as a crucial transportation linkage within the Organization of Turkic States. For the European Union it provides a diversification strategy away from dependence on Russian-controlled infrastructure. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Roza Bayramlı, Advisor in the Center of Analysis of international Relations, The Republic of Azerbaijan