Baku:The Middle Corridor has expanded 15-fold in the past two years, as stated by Rakhim Oshakbayev, Director of Kazakhstan’s TALAP Center for Applied Research, at the CAMCA 2026 Regional Forum plenary session.
According to Azeri-Press news agency, Oshakbayev emphasized the importance of the Middle Corridor’s development as a key priority for Kazakhstan.
He highlighted that although a significant portion of freight between China and Europe is transported via the northern route, the Middle Corridor’s development is crucial for diversifying transport routes.
Oshakbayev also raised concerns about the receding coastline of the Caspian Sea, which poses a challenge for Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. In the past 20 years, the northern Caspian Sea’s coastline has receded up to 56 kilometers, with the pace accelerating to 30 centimeters per year over the last five years. If this trend persists, it could threaten the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of operating the new corridor.