THE MIDDLE CORRIDOR AND UZBEKISTAN'S INTEGRATION INTO THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

Abstract

Transport connectivity has become one of the main conditions for economic integration, especially for landlocked and doubly landlocked economies. In this context, the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, widely known as the Middle Corridor, has gained strategic importance as an alternative multimodal route connecting China, Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, the South Caucasus, Türkiye and Europe. For Uzbekistan, the relevance of this corridor is directly linked to the country's geographic position, export diversification policy, WTO accession process, and need to reduce dependence on a narrow set of traditional transit routes. This article examines the role of the Middle Corridor in strengthening Uzbekistan's integration into the global economy by using secondary data from the World Bank, OECD, EBRD, CAREC/ADB, WTO, the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route Association, and the National Statistics Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The findings show that the corridor is expanding rapidly but remains capacity-constrained. OECD data indicate that goods traffic along the Trans-Caspian corridor reached 4.5 million tons in 2024, while the World Bank estimates that coordinated investments and efficiency measures could triple freight volumes and halve travel time by 2030. Uzbekistan's foreign trade turnover reached USD 81.2 billion in 2025, confirming the growing need for reliable and diversified logistics channels. The study concludes that the Middle Corridor can support Uzbekistan's global integration only if infrastructure investments are combined with soft connectivity reforms, including digital customs, harmonized procedures, competitive logistics services, and stronger regional coordination.