Senior officials from Azerbaijan, the European Union and China used the stage at the Munich Security Conference to promote the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, or Middle Corridor, as a fast-growing trade artery and a potential anchor of regional stability.
The roughly 8,000–10,000 kilometer route linking China to Europe via Central Asia, the Caspian Sea and the South Caucasus has seen cargo volumes surge in recent years, drawing interest amid efforts to diversify away from northern routes through Russia.
The Munich Security Conference panel on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route featured President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, European Commissioner for Enlargement and Eastern Partnership Marta Kos, Founder and President of the Center for China and Globalization and former State Counselor of the People’s Republic of China Wang Huiyao.
The discussion was moderated by Helga Maria Schmid, Ambassador for Global Affairs at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany and President of the European Institute of Peace.
Panelists argued that connectivity is no longer just about logistics, but about resilience, de-risking and long-term geopolitical balance across Eurasia.
President Ilham Aliyev linked infrastructure expansion directly to the normalization process with Armenia, describing peace as both a prerequisite and a product of deeper regional connectivity.
“Peace is being established along our borders. A completely new situation has emerged,” President Aliyev said, referring to developments since the August initialing of a peace document in Washington.
He expressed hope a formal peace agreement would be signed this year.
“I hope we will sign peace agreement this year,” he said, noting that there have been no shootings along the border in recent months and that practical cooperation, including cargo transit and energy supplies, has begun.
Ilham Aliyev emphasized that infrastructure investment underpins Azerbaijan’s role as a transit hub.
“Without physical infrastructure, geographical position doesn’t mean a lot,” he said.
Connectivity through Armenia toward Türkiye and Europe would significantly boost cargo flows, he said, adding that corridors will “create an entirely new situation in the South Caucasus” by fostering trilateral cooperation among Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia.
During the Q&A session, President Aliyev also addressed Russian attacks on Azerbaijani-owned facilities and diplomatic premises in Ukraine, confirming the issue had been raised diplomatically and describing the incidents as “deliberate” and “unfriendly.”
Comissioner Marta Kos framed the corridor within the EU’s Global Gateway and broader de-risking strategy.
She said geopolitical shifts and progress in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations have opened new opportunities for cooperation that were previously unthinkable.
Kos thanked President Aliyev for leadership in advancing peace efforts and argued that Europe must rethink the Black Sea and Caspian regions as connectors rather than dividing lines.
Studies cited during the panel suggest the corridor could triple traffic volumes by 2030, significantly reduce transit times and lower costs for businesses. Kos acknowledged regulatory bottlenecks, including multiple customs checkpoints, and emphasized digitalization and coordinated platforms involving EU member states, the South Caucasus and Central Asia.
“In these times of geopolitical challenges, we are doing the opposite — building connections,” she said.
Wang Huiyao described the Middle Corridor as complementary to existing Eurasian routes, including northern corridors through Russia.
He pointed to China’s Belt and Road Initiative and extensive investments across Central Asia and the Caspian region, arguing that diversified infrastructure strengthens economic resilience.
Greater trade and connectivity, he suggested, build trust and reduce the likelihood of conflict, positioning the corridor not as a geopolitical rival, but as part of a broader network of Eurasian integration.
U.S. President Donald Trump has extended his timeline on striking against Iran's energy sites, as Tehran says diplomacy is on...
Mexico's navy said it had activated a search-and-rescue operation in the Caribbean to locate two sailboats carrying humanitarian aid to Cuba af...
A powerful tropical cyclone in Western Australia has disrupted production at the country’s two biggest li...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would pause attacks on Iran's energy plants for 10 days...
The Trump administration is reportedly reviewing plans to deploy up to 10,000 additional U.S. troops to the Middle East, raising tensions even as W...
U.S. President Donald Trump has extended his timeline on striking against Iran's energy sites, as Tehran says diplomacy is ongoing - latest on Middle East conflict.
Mexico's navy said it had activated a search-and-rescue operation in the Caribbean to locate two sailboats carrying humanitarian aid to Cuba after the vessels failed to arrive in Havana.
A powerful tropical cyclone in Western Australia has disrupted production at the country’s two biggest liquefied natural gas plants run by Chevron and Woodside, exacerbating a global supply crunch caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would pause attacks on Iran's energy plants for 10 days at Tehran's request and said talks with Iran were going "very well," although an Iranian official dismissed a U.S. proposal for ending nearly four weeks of fighting as "one-sided and unfair."
Israel said it had killed Alireza Tangsiri, the Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)’s Navy, on Thursday, as confict in the Middle East continued.
A drone has flown into Estonian airspace from Russia. It happened early on Wednesday morning and slammed into a chimney at a local power station, the Baltic country's Internal Security Service told public broadcaster ERR.
Iran has rejected a U.S. proposal to end the war, insisting any ceasefire will occur only on its own terms and timeline, according to a senior political-security official speaking to state-run Press TV on Wednesday.
Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Rally (RN), said on Wednesday that the U.S. had “clearly made a mistake” in launching strikes on Iran, arguing Washington misjudged the resilience of the Iranian regime.
NASA announced on Tuesday it has cancelled plans to deploy a space station in lunar orbit and will instead use components from the project to build a $20 billion base on the moon's surface, while also planning to send a nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars.
Mexico's navy said it had activated a search-and-rescue operation in the Caribbean to locate two sailboats carrying humanitarian aid to Cuba after the vessels failed to arrive in Havana.
A powerful tropical cyclone in Western Australia has disrupted production at the country’s two biggest liquefied natural gas plants run by Chevron and Woodside, exacerbating a global supply crunch caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
France has rejected claims that South Africa was dropped from the guest list for this year’s G7 summit under pressure from United States, insisting the decision to invite Kenya was its own.
A U.S. federal judge raised concerns on Thursday about whether sanctions preventing Venezuela from funding the legal defense of Nicolás Maduro could violate his constitutional rights, though he did not dismiss the drug-trafficking charges against the former leader.
The UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) met in Finland on Thursday (26 March) to discuss the Russia–Ukraine war, North Atlantic security and the coalition’s future.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment