A New Route to Europe: A Railway Line Connecting Asia to the EU Without Russian Involvement Has Been Launched
3 June 18:57
Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Georgia have officially opened the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars (BTK) railway, which is a key part of the Middle Corridor — a strategic logistics route facilitating trade between Asia and Europe while bypassing Russia.
This was reported by the DHA news agency, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
Turkey’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, emphasized the importance of the railway line, noting:
“The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line is one of the most important transportation investments implemented through the joint will of the three countries. Since 2017, it has made a significant contribution to the development of the Middle Corridor and played an important role in strengthening connections between Asia and Europe.”
Challenges and Opportunities
The minister also emphasized the need for new routes and reliable transport corridors in the context of modern international trade.
He noted:
“Disruptions in supply chains and the vulnerability of international trade networks have shown us an important reality. Corridors that were considered alternatives in the event of crises are, in fact, the insurance of global trade.”
According to Uraloğlu, the effectiveness of the Middle Corridor will be determined not only by the volume of investment in infrastructure but also by the quality of services and the reliability of transportation.
He emphasized:
“Today, the world evaluates not the capacity of the BTK, but its efficiency. Our success will be measured not by the number of kilometers built, but by the quality of services, transit time, and user trust.”
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The Middle Corridor: An Alternative and a Safety Net
The Middle Corridor, also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TCITR), is a route between China and Europe through Central Asia and the Caucasus. It has gained particular importance following the start of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine and the imposition of sanctions on Russia. This has made the northern transport route (through Russia) unprofitable and problematic.
Turkey continues to actively develop the transport infrastructure of the Middle Corridor.
As reported, construction began last August on the 224-kilometer Kars–Iğdır–Aralık–Dilucu railway line, which is also intended to strengthen rail connectivity on the route between Asia and Europe.
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