Countries along the Middle Corridor have begun intensive cooperation with European partners to build a systematic approach to attracting cargo flows from West to East. This was stated by Emil Mammadov, advisor to the chairman of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC (ADY), speaking at the fifth Black Sea-Caspian Logistics Forum 2026 in Baku.
According to the advisor, previously the Middle Corridor was promoted mainly among its direct participants: industry events were organized in China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and at best in Turkey.
"Practically no one approached the European market with the Middle Corridor agenda, as the route was going through its natural stage of formation. Now we have moved to active cooperation with European partners to build systematic work on attracting cargo flows from West to East. We are confident that European businesses trust concepts promoted by local operators to a greater extent. Therefore, our goal is to build mutually beneficial partnerships of interest to both sides," emphasized E. Mammadov.
The full list of potential export goods from Europe will be determined later, he said. E. Mammadov clarified that the category of cargo attracted is determined by the specifics of export flows.
"We are talking about finished products with high added value manufactured in Europe, in particular automotive products and components. The full list will be formed later, as it is directly determined by the conditions the corridor can offer shippers. The decisive role here is played by the time factor and compliance with the service level agreement. We must ensure certain service standards so that shippers of goods sensitive to delivery time and cost feel as confident as possible. This is a large and multifaceted task. We expect that the first tangible results will appear as early as 2027, and we will begin to systematically increase cargo volumes along the West-East direction," said the advisor.
