UK Parliament roundtable underscores strategic relevance of Middle Corridor
LONDON
The House of Lords on July 2 hosted a high-level roundtable, titled “Middle Corridor: Strategic Investment and Cooperation Opportunities,” to discuss the growing role of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, widely known as the Middle Corridor.
The overland trade route connects China to Europe via Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye — providing a non-Russian alternative to traditional east-west trade paths.
The roundtable featured strong support for the corridor’s potential, particularly amid growing vulnerabilities in maritime shipping routes, according to the statement released after the event.
Overland alternatives, such as the Middle Corridor, are increasingly viewed as essential to ensuring continuity of trade and geopolitical flexibility, it noted.
Afzal Khan, the U.K.'s Trade Envoy to Türkiye, highlighted the timing of the discussion in the context of ongoing U.K.-Türkiye trade negotiations.
“This event comes at an important time, as the U.K. and Türkiye are in the process of negotiating an upgraded Free Trade Agreement,” he said, noting that Türkiye is also a part of important commercial links between Europe and Central Asia.
“The U.K. government is keen to strengthen our economic and trade relationships with the region. The Trans-Caspian route, also known as the Middle Corridor, presents an alternative to traditional trade routes — one that is faster, more efficient and more sustainable,” he added.
While the U.K. has not yet announced specific details of its strategy regarding the Middle Corridor, there is growing recognition in both policy and business circles of its strategic value — both in terms of strengthening supply chain resilience and deepening the U.K.’s engagement with Central Asia and the South Caucasus, the statement said.
