Zangezur Corridor Opens Doors for Wider International Cooperation Beyond Turkic States

The opening of the Zangezur Corridor is of great importance not only for Turkic states but also for other countries, said Kubanychbek Omuraliev, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), said in an interview on the sidelines of the second meeting of ministers of industry, science, technology, and innovation of OTS member states in Baku, The Caspian Post reports citing Trend.

“The Zangezur Corridor, considered one of the main arteries of the Middle Corridor, is of great importance not only for Turkic states but also for other countries, including the Caucasus states, Iran, and the European Union. It contributes to the creation of a transport corridor between Asia and Europe. With the implementation of this corridor, transport capacity will double, and the distance for freight shipments will become shorter,” he said.

The OTS Secretary General emphasized that the Middle Corridor is historically part of the Great Silk Road.

“Historically and traditionally called the Middle Corridor, this Trans-Caspian route is gradually becoming a more tangible and strategically important project today,” he added.

The Middle Corridor is a transport and trade route that passes through several countries in the region, connecting Asia with Europe. It serves as an alternative to the traditional Northern and Southern corridors.

The route begins in China and passes through Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It then crosses the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye before reaching Europe. The Middle Corridor provides a land-based route that bypasses longer maritime paths, linking eastern regions of Asia, including China, with Europe.

The Zangezur corridor is a transport corridor concept that was introduced following the 2020 Karabakh War. It was advocated for by Azerbaijan and Türkiye as a direct land connection between mainland Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan exclave, passing through Armenia's southern Syunik province.