{"id":236776,"date":"2026-05-11T16:16:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T16:16:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/middle-corridor\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T12:16:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T12:16:58","slug":"middle-corridor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/en\/middle-corridor\/","title":{"rendered":"The Caspian Sea and the Middle Corridor: the new geography of trade between Asia and Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Caspian Sea and the Middle Corridor: the new geography of trade between Asia and Europe<\/span><\/h1>\n

The new geography of trade between Asia and Europe and the competition between the main Eurasian routes<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n
\"Middle
Middle Corridor Route Image by Tanvir Anjum Adib, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The transport system between Asia and Europe is undergoing a profound transformation. Geopolitical tensions, new infrastructure, and shifts in trade flows are fostering the emergence of alternative corridors that are redrawing the map of global logistics. In this context, the Caspian Sea and the Middle Corridor are playing an increasingly strategic role.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Caspian Sea: a logistical hub in the heart of Eurasia<\/span><\/h2>\n

The Caspian Sea is the largest inland saltwater body in the world and lies between Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Although it is a closed basin, it represents a key connection point between railway networks, ports, and land corridors.<\/span><\/p>\n

The countries bordering it\u2014particularly Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan\u2014have turned it into a natural hub for the transit of energy goods and containerized freight.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Middle Corridor: the multimodal alternative to the Silk Road<\/span><\/h2>\n

The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), commonly known as the Middle Corridor, is a multimodal transport network connecting China to Europe via Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus, and Turkey.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is an alternative route to the traditional Northern Silk Road (which runs through Russia), which for centuries represented the main overland connection between East and West and today corresponds to the Northern Corridor.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Middle Corridor combines rail transport, maritime ferry crossings across the Caspian Sea, and subsequent road or rail segments. It is increasingly gaining importance as an alternative to traditional Russia-dominated corridors and maritime routes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Route: China \u2192 Kazakhstan \u2192 Caspian Sea \u2192 Azerbaijan \u2192 Georgia\/Turkey \u2192 Europe<\/span><\/p>\n

The Northern Corridor: the historic route through Russia<\/span><\/h2>\n

For years, this corridor has been the fastest and most direct railway route for goods between China and Europe (via Russia and Belarus).<\/span><\/p>\n

Today it faces significant challenges:<\/span><\/p>\n