Kazakhstan's Middle Corridor strategy offers new options for Pakistan via Azerbaijan. This was announced by Market Development Director at the Anzali Free Zone (AFZ), Hossein Fashkhami, on his social media account. According to him, Kazakhstan's transport strategy, in addition to expanding routes connecting Central Asia, the Caspian region, and Europe, can create new logistics opportunities with Pakistan via Azerbaijan.
He noted that Kazakhstan demonstrates the economic importance of integrated transport networks. "Despite being the largest landlocked country in the world, Kazakhstan has invested heavily in railways, highways, ports on the Caspian Sea, border terminals, logistics centers, and digital transport systems to become one of the main transit hubs of Eurasia. Over the past seven years, Kazakhstan has invested about $35 billion in its transport infrastructure.
New projects are currently being implemented to expand transport opportunities in the directions of China, Central Asia, the Caspian region, and Europe," the expert recalled. Fashkhami emphasized that this is also important for Pakistan. "While Kazakhstan is investing to overcome the limitations created by the lack of access to the sea, Pakistan has the advantage that Kazakhstan needs most - direct access to the Arabian Sea.
The state visit of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Pakistan in February 2026 highlighted the strategic opportunities for deeper cooperation between the two countries. Kazakhstan is forming transport corridors, rather than individual projects. The concept of the country's transport and logistics potential development until 2030 envisages the parallel development of road, rail, sea, and air transport, the creation of cross-border logistics centers, the modernization of the transport fleet, and the reduction of non-physical barriers in transit," he explained.
The expert pointed out that the analysis of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) also emphasizes Kazakhstan's strategic position. The country has a central role in the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor), the border with China, the ports of Aktau and Kuryk on the Caspian Sea, and the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor). "The Middle Corridor runs along the route China → Kazakhstan → Caspian Sea → Azerbaijan → Georgia → Türkiye/Black Sea → Europe.
Against the background of the preference of cargo carriers for more sustainable and diversified Eurasian routes, the volume of cargo transportation along this corridor has grown rapidly. While the volume of cargo transported along the China-Europe route across the Caspian was less than 1.5 million tons in 2022, it will exceed 3.3 million tons in 2024. Kazakhstan aims to increase the volume of transit cargo transportation to 74 million tons by 2030 and is expanding its transport capabilities before demand is fully formed.
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