The upcoming summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) could give fresh impetus to transport cooperation involving Kyrgyzstan, Temirlan Razbaev, chief expert at the Analytics and Coordination Department of the National Institute for Strategic Initiatives under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, told Trend. According to him this includes the integration of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway with the Middle Corridor via the Caspian Sea and Azerbaijan. It would be advisable to link the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway with the Middle Corridor via the Caspian Sea and Azerbaijan.
According to official Azerbaijani data, the capacity of the Alat Port is planned to be increased from 15 million to 25 million tons per year, while cargo volumes along the Middle Corridor via Azerbaijan have increased by nearly 90% since 2022. For Kyrgyzstan, the practical benefit will come not from the route simply being mapped out, but from a regular container service, a single electronic document and a competitive end-to-end tariff,” he said. The expert added that investment was another promising area.
In particular, in July 2026, the capital of the Azerbaijan-Kyrgyzstan Development Fund was increased from $100 million to $200 million. At the same time, three joint projects were opened and eight initiatives were launched. These are areas with potential rather than sectors in which agreements have already been finalized for specific projects,” he added.
At the same time, Razbaev said tourism and people-to-people ties represented a third area of potential cooperation. According to the official announcement, the complex covers more than 17 hectares, includes 111 rooms and 10 cottages, and can accommodate 330 guests. At the initial stage, it is expected to provide employment for 255 people.
This is a concrete example of a project whose impact can be assessed in terms of the facility itself, employment and the quality of its infrastructure. Overall, the success of cooperation should be measured not by the number of memorandums signed, but by cargo volumes, investment, operational enterprises and jobs created,” the chief expert said. Razbaev also emphasized that Kyrgyzstan’s role in the SCO is currently determined primarily by its ability to advance Central Asian interests within the broader Eurasian organization.
By comparison, when Kyrgyzstan held the SCO chairmanship in 2019, the organization had eight members – Iran and Belarus joined later. Therefore, the current chairmanship is taking place within a larger and more complex organization. Over 2025-2026, Bishkek has identified specific priorities, including streamlining trade procedures, developing the digital economy and transit potential, expanding renewable energy, and improving security mechanisms.
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