Trans-Caspian Corridor: Europe and Central Asia target faster trade

Countries along the Trans-Caspian Corridor, backed by the European Union, are trying to make the route faster and more predictable, with a target of cutting transit times from around 35 days to between 15 and 20. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT For cargo moving west from Uzbekistan, the route can run through Kazakhstan to the Caspian Sea, cross by ferry to Azerbaijan, and continue through Georgia and Türkiye towards Europe. It combines railways, roads, ports and maritime links that have to work together across several national transport systems. Improving how those different parts of the route work together was a central focus of the second National Conference on the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor in Tashkent, where European and Uzbek officials, international financial institutions and transport companies discussed priority investments, project preparation, logistics, digitalisation and faster border procedures. TRACECA, the intergovernmental commission for the Europe-Caucasus-Asia transport corridor, is among the bodies working with governments along the route to improve cross-border connectivity. Beyond infrastructure: customs and digital links Jasurbek Choriyev, Secretary General of TRACECA, told Euronews that infrastructure remains uneven along the route and will require continued investment. But he said the priority over the next four years is improving what TRACECA calls “soft connectivity”. “Digital connectivity and cross-border facilitation and simplification of procedures will be the number one priority for the next four years that we need to focus on,” Choriyev said. Pēteris Ustubs, Director for Asia and the Pacific at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), pointed to the need for closer coordination across the route. “We have to look at the corridor in its entirety, making sure that the procedural part of the entire corridor is working as smoothly as possible, making sure that documentation is moved as far as possible to the electronic versions, making sure that customs procedures are harmonised to the maximum,” he said. Why predictability matters for freight For logistics companies, a shorter journey is only part of what makes a transport corridor competitive. They also need predictable transit times. “The transport companies and logistics companies are interested in a very predictable timeline of the corridor, making sure that they know when and how the transport will move around,” Ustubs noted. EU Ambassador to Uzbekistan Toivo Klaar described cooperation on what he called “soft infrastructure” as just as important as investment in physical links. He said this meant agreeing on procedures to simplify border crossings and reduce the time needed for clearances and permits. "So that if somebody wants to ship, for example, from Uzbekistan, a container load or a trainload of cargo to Europe, they don't have to apply for individual permits in each country along the route, because there are quite a few," Klaar said. Instead, he added, a single agreed permit and system would make it easier to move cargo along the route. “That is perfectly possible. It has been done elsewhere, and it is about political will. It is about cooperation,” Klaar added. Bottlenecks further west Shorter transit times also depend on removing capacity constraints further west. Choriyev pointed to new railway connections involving Azerbaijan, Armenia, Nakhchivan and Türkiye as examples of how relatively short links can connect larger sections of the route. The Black Sea presents another challenge. The International Maritime Organisation warned in July of a resurgence in attacks on civilian merchant ships in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. Recent attacks have also hit commercial vessels and port infrastructure along Ukraine’s Black Sea coast. “Black Sea security is a concern now,” Choriyev said, also pointing to ferry links and maritime capacity as potential constraints. Uzbekistan expands links east and west For Uzbekistan, the economics of the corridor are closely tied to geography. It is one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world, and Transport Minister Ilkhom Makhkamov says transport accounts for a significant share of the cost of Uzbek products. Tashkent is also looking beyond its own borders to improve access to international markets. Makhkamov said plans include involvement in Caspian port infrastructure, ferries or barges on the Caspian Sea, infrastructure projects in Azerbaijan and stakes in ports in Georgia and on the Black Sea. There are capacity constraints at home as well. Passenger and freight trains share parts of Uzbekistan’s railway network, while a planned dedicated high-speed passenger line between Tashkent and Samarkand is intended partly to free up freight capacity. Hikmatulla Rahmetov, First Deputy Chairman of Uzbekistan Railways, said the project would “decrease the pressure on our cargo flow” and help reduce freight operating costs. At the same time, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway could bring significantly more cargo into the network from the east. Uzbekistan Railways estimates the route could eventually carry up to 15 million tonnes of freight a year, much of it towards European markets via Uzbekistan.