Uzbekistan Pursues Caspian and Black Sea Logistics Hubs to Boost Middle Corridor Trade

Tashkent is working to develop port and storage infrastructure along the Caspian and Black Sea coastlines as part of its broader Middle Corridor trade strategy. According to a communiqué from President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's office dated 21 September, representatives from Uzbekistan and Georgia have concluded a deal to develop Uzbek logistics and storage infrastructure at Poti, a Georgian port on the Black Sea. According to the release, plans are underway to conduct a feasibility study. Trade representatives from Uzbekistan have outlined intentions to participate in upgrading port facilities along the Caspian Sea, targeting terminals at Aktau in Kazakhstan, Turkmenbashi in Turkmenistan, and Baku on the western coastline. Uzbekistan is also seeking entry to the planned Anaklia port development in Georgia, a project that has faced ongoing funding uncertainty and construction setbacks. Uzbekistan's interest in acquiring a share of the Anaklia project was first made public after Mirziyoyev visited Georgia on a state visit in early July, with the president's office noting that the ventures would open up diversified export corridors for textile, chemical, agricultural, and mining and metallurgical goods to international markets. The report flagged that funding for the expansion of Tashkent's commercial strategy has yet to be resolved. The country is simultaneously advancing plans to electrify its domestic freight rail network, introduce high-speed rail segments, and upgrade airport facilities nationwide, all as part of broader efforts to strengthen transit links between logistics hubs. According to the statement, authorities are also examining the prospect of Uzbekistan participating in TRIPP, a project conceived as a trade corridor through Armenian territory linking Azerbaijan and Turkey along the Middle Corridor route. Uzbek authorities are reportedly weighing a potential investment in upgrading a rail corridor through the Azerbaijani territory of Nakhchivan, a move that would facilitate freight and passenger connections to the Turkish port cities of Samsun and Istanbul. Digitalising freight logistics forms another pillar of Uzbekistan's approach, aimed at cutting transit times while curbing informal economic activity in trade. Reducing informal commerce in the freight sector could help the government advance its trade objectives — including doubling transport service volumes by 2030 and growing service exports to $5.7 billion — while a presidential statement noted that unregistered freight activity accounts for more than 42 percent of the sector, partly due to the absence of a unified electronic platform consolidating order processing and transport services; to address this, authorities plan to introduce an integrated digital transport registry, real-time cross-border tracking, and a centralised electronic permit system.

Uzbekistan Pursues Caspian and Black Sea Logistics Hubs to Boost Middle Corridor Trade

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Uzbekistan Pursues Caspian and Black Sea Logistics Hubs to Boost Middle Corridor Trade

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