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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced Sunday that the country is finalizing the construction of its segment of the Zangezur Corridor, a transport route set to become the main artery of the Middle Corridor—a trade and transit initiative connecting China to Europe via Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, and Türkiye.
"In its first phase, this line will have a capacity of 15 million tons of freight," Aliyev said during the 7th Consultative Meeting of Central Asian Leaders in Tashkent.
He emphasized that the corridor is designed to provide an uninterrupted link between mainland Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. The broader objective is to create a seamless east-west trade corridor that enhances regional logistics infrastructure and economic connectivity.
Aliyev referenced an earlier agreement involving Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and U.S. President Donald Trump, which called for establishing unobstructed transit between Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan.
He noted that this connectivity will "expand transit opportunities" and play a crucial role in the Middle Corridor’s logistics map.
The corridor passes through the Zangezur region of southern Armenia, and while construction on the Armenian segment remains politically sensitive, Azerbaijan is pressing ahead with its share of the route.
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov also said the Zangezur Corridor is strategically aligned with the under-construction China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway, which will connect Central Asia to major Asian and European markets.
"The construction of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway will not only link logistics chains but also reshape them," he said. "The Zangezur Corridor project appears as the logical and strategic continuation of this railway."
To enhance the efficiency of cross-border freight movement, Japarov proposed the development of a unified electronic platform called the "Digital Transit Corridor," designed to integrate customs data and permit processes via a single-window system.
At the 7th Consultative Meeting of Central Asian Leaders, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced that Azerbaijan has been accepted as a full member of the regional summit format, which previously included Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan.
The summit, hosted at the Tashkent Congress Center, brought together Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
Mirziyoyev described the decision to include Azerbaijan as “a historic step” and stated that the move aligns with the mutual interests of nations bound by shared history, cultural heritage, and fraternal ties.
"This strategic step will launch a new period of cooperation between Central Asia and the South Caucasus," he said during his opening speech.
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