Middle Corridor countries have made numerous efforts over the past few years to expand and strengthen the project. Kazakhstan and Georgia signed an agreement on July 20, introducing a testing period for an e-Permit system for international road freight transport between the two countries. This is one move that works to improve logistics along the Middle Corridor (Kazakh Ministry of Transport; Inbusiness.kz, July 20). Earlier, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine signed an agreement in Astana on May 15 during the Eighteenth Annual Meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission TRACECA to introduce a single transit document for the Middle Corridor (Open KG; TRACECA, May 18). The document is expected to simplify cargo transportation along the corridor by allowing shipments to move under a single permit. These recent agreements follow positive developments in South Caucasus transport connectivity. Azerbaijan and Georgia launched the Poti–Baku Express Block Train on January 30, followed by an official ceremony on June 3 inaugurating the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway (Azerbaijan Railways, January 30; The Astana Times, June 3).
Together, these projects aim to reduce transit times, improve cargo reliability, and strengthen the Middle Corridor’s competitiveness against alternative routes through Russia and Iran (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, December 13, 2023). Russia’s war against Ukraine boosted the route’s importance over the past several years, the conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran in 2026 has further highlighted the impetus to develop a corridor that passes across the South Caucasus and lies between Russia and Iran (see EDM, April 19, August 2, 2022, October 28, 2024, January 28, December 4, 2025, March 24, 25, 31).
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Emil Avdaliani is a Research Fellow at the Turan Research Center.