Uzbekistan is consistently building an infrastructure and trade axis that bypasses Russia, betting on the “Middle Corridor” as a strategic route. This was stated by political analyst Vahe Davtyan.
“During last week’s official visit of Georgia’s Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Mariam Kvrivishvili, to Tashkent, negotiations were held with Uzbekistan’s Minister of Transport, Ilhom Makhkamov, on expanding cooperation in the transport and logistics sector. Discussions covered the development of road and rail transport, multimodal routes utilizing Georgia’s seaports, and the prospects of integrating the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway into the structure of the Middle Corridor. Makhkamov proposed that the Georgian side consider participating in the project to enhance the connectivity of the new railway with the Black Sea direction.
The 450-km railway will start in Kashgar, China, pass through Torugart, Makmal, and Jalal-Abad in Kyrgyzstan, and end in Andijan, Uzbekistan. The main section (approximately 300 km) will run through Kyrgyzstan, where a wheelset change facility will be established at Makmal station to transition from Chinese to the broader ‘Russian’ gauge. From there, the route will continue to the Caspian Sea, through Azerbaijan’s ports, and onward to Georgia, Turkey, and Europe.
The project is significant not only as a tool for strengthening intraregional connectivity and expanding Chinese access to Central Asia but also as a potential link in the Trans-Caspian transport route, which has gained momentum amid geopolitical shifts. If integrated into the Middle Corridor, the railway could redirect some cargo flows currently passing through Kazakhstan, providing alternative routes to the Caspian via both Kazakh and Turkmen ports.
Transport talks were complemented by a meeting between Kvrivishvili and Uzbekistan’s Minister of Investment, Laziz Kudratov. They noted a 3.5-fold increase in trade turnover since 2020, with a goal of reaching $1 billion, driven by cooperation in textiles, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural products.
Thus, Uzbekistan is systematically building an infrastructure and trade axis that bypasses Russia, prioritizing the Middle Corridor as a strategic route. The proposal to include Georgia in the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project is not merely a diplomatic gesture but part of a broader strategy for Central Asia’s logistical development.
For Tbilisi, this is a window of opportunity: with an active stance, Georgia could transform from a transit link into a full-fledged hub of the Eurasian transport framework with access to the Black Sea,” Davtyan concluded.