Session 3

12:00 – 13:00 / 24 June 2026   Kavaklıdere Ballroom

The 'Middle Corridor' as an Integrated Industrial Belt - From Transit to Transformation

The TITR/Middle Corridor reached 76,900 TEUs in 2025 (+36% YoY). This session examines how the route can shift from a logistics corridor to an industrial spine for mineral processing, value-added manufacturing and supply-chain integration. Discussion will cover infrastructure bottlenecks (Caspian port dredging, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars capacity, Turkish rail links), digital customs harmonisation, and the role of the EU's €12B Central Asia investment package. The narrative shifts from 'transit' to 'transformation' — using the corridor to process materials, not just move them.

Key themes
  • Middle Corridor infrastructure status 2026: capacity, bottlenecks, and the road to tripling freight volumes by 2030
  • Türkiye’s role as the western anchor of the Middle Corridor: rail, port and logistics investments
  • Kazakhstan’s Kuryk port dredging and the Caspian ferry expansion: six ferries by 2028
  • Azerbaijan’s Alat port expansion: scaling from 150,000 to 260,000 TEUs and the Caspian shallowing challenge
  • Digital trade facilitation along the corridor: e-permits, data interoperability, and smart logistics