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Middle Corridor under spotlight as Gulf tensions rise

[ May 27, 2026   //   ]

The Middle Corridor – linking Asia and Europe through Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey – should be given more attention as an alternative to more vulnerable Middle East routes, a webinar convened by Edinburgh Business School was told on 27 May.

Academics, business people and experts explored whether the UK should look beyond the Middle East and pay closer attention to partnerships in the South Caucasus, Central Asia and the wider Eurasian region.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz – through which roughly a fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas and seaborne oil passes – has again exposed the fragility of global energy supply chains.

At the same time, the continued threat posed by the Houthis in Yemen raises risks to the security of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the narrow maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, while broader instability in the Horn of Africa, including Somalia, further compounds security risks.

However, the Middle Corridor, officially known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), offers speed and relative political resilience, enabling goods to move between East and West while bypassing conflict-affected regions.

Azerbaijan views the Middle Corridor as the main pillar of its post-2020 connectivity strategy. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan maintain strategic partnerships with the UK and remain significant energy producers. Both share the UK’s interest in regional stability, open trade and a rules-based international order – a pragmatic outlook shaped by the realities of a difficult neighbourhood.

A lasting peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, coupled with improving regional relations and the prospect of reopened transport links, could create an additional artery connecting East and West, reinforcing the wider commercial viability of the Middle Corridor.

Professor John Easton, Professor of Sustainable Transport at Edinburgh Business School, said that development of infrastructure could have huge impact on the demand for rail freight services.

Progress along the Middle Corridor has been gradual but tangible, particularly in the harmonisation of customs procedures, permits and transport regulations. Nevertheless, infrastructure remains the principal constraint.

A fully operational Middle Corridor has the potential to reshape trade across Eurasia, deepening connectivity, investment and economic integration across Central Asia and the South Caucasus. The World Bank suggests that freight transit times could be reduced by up to 50%, while trade volumes along the route could triple by 2030.

Professor Ismail Gölgeci, Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management at the University of Auckland Business School, added: “Recent geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruptions are increasing the strategic importance of the Middle Corridor. However, the future role of the corridor in global trade will depend not only on infrastructure and transport connectivity, but also on the resilience, strategic agility, and institutional readiness of firms operating across the region.”

A deeper British commitment to the Middle Corridor would strengthen supply-chain resilience, broaden the UK’s regional presence across the South Caucasus and Central Asia – a combined market of nearly 100 million people – and lessen dependence on maritime routes facing mounting geopolitical risks.