Central Asian countries are no longer betting on Russia

The Central Asian countries are no longer betting on Russia and are revising their logistics strategy, relying not on one, but on several trade corridors in order to protect themselves from geopolitical risks. The National Interest writes about this.

The newspaper notes the rapid growth of the importance of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TMTM), or the "middle corridor", which bypasses Russia through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey.

The publication notes that the conflict over Ukraine in 2022 seriously undermined the reliability of the Northern Corridor (through Russia), which forced Central Asian countries and businesses to look for alternatives. Before that, the "Middle Corridor" was considered as a secondary path.

The reorientation led to a significant increase in traffic volumes. In 2024, freight traffic through TMTM increased by 20.55% compared to the previous year, and container traffic — by 175.6%. Other sources cite an even more impressive increase — by 62%, to 450 million tons.

The countries along the route are not just observing, but actively building new infrastructure and institutions. Joint logistics companies were established (for example, Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd), framework agreements were signed on the development of the corridor until 2027, and China joined these efforts by signing memoranda with Azerbaijan and Georgia.

The strategy of the region, as the newspaper notes, is aimed at creating a "safety margin". In addition to the "Middle Corridor", other routes are actively developing. In particular, the "Southern Corridor" through Iran. This alternative is also attracting more and more attention. The development of the railway network, especially after the completion of the Chinese-Kyrgyz-Uzbek Railway and its integration with the Iranian network, can shorten the path from East Asia to Europe for almost 900 kilometers and 7-8 days. This makes the route the shortest overland route between the two regions.

Despite the diversification, China remains a key partner. The region is actively participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, and projects such as the Chinese-Kyrgyz-Uzbek Railway are priorities. This transforms Central Asia from a "closed" region into a key transit hub.