Azerbaijan was recommended to be friends with Russia: The middle corridor is shrinking

Azerbaijan should be friends with the Russian Federation and China and invest not only in the ways that are under the nose, said political analyst Ugur Mammadov, commenting on the information that the first trans-Caspian freight train departed from the city of Tianjin in northern China to Baku.

The political scientist gave a picture on the Ugur Mammadov telegram channel regarding the importance of the Middle Corridor, including the Trans-Caspian Route (TMTM) and the future Zangezur Corridor:

• In general, China—Europe freight traffic fell by 18 over the year%,
• Europe is almost 90% the recipient, not the supplier of goods,
• Only 12% of container shipments between China and Europe move bypassing Russia, the main flow goes along the central Eurasian corridor through Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus.

"If we look at container transit through Azerbaijan, it amounted to 135.3 thousand in 2025. TEU (unit of measurement of the capacity of cargo vehicles. — EADaily). It is obvious that the share of these shipments in Eurasian logistics is quite small," Mammadov said.

In his opinion, the value of the Middle Corridor will still shrink as the route through the Arctic develops, and it is in full swing. The Arctic "silk Road" is shorter in time than the traditional one, through the Suez Canal, by 20 days. The sanctions and military blockade of Russia are also not eternal, the political scientist stressed.

"The conclusion is simple: Azerbaijan needs to be friends with the Russian Federation and China and invest not only in those ways that are under the nose. They are not the most promising," Mammadov concluded.