Status of the Caspian: Finish line?

Military operations against Iran have disrupted trade flows across Eurasia, weakening the International North–South Transport Corridor and accelerating cargo diversion to the Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor, officials and industry sources said.

The wars in Iran and Ukraine have sharply increased the strategic importance of the so-called Middle Corridor linking Asia and Europe, as traditional trade routes face disruptions and energy prices surge, officials and analysts say.

On August 22, senior officials from Azerbaijan and Russia met in Astrakhan for the 23rd session of their intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation, in what observers described as a cautious step toward normalisation of relations after months of tension.

Leaders of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan on Friday pledged to accelerate regional integration, using a summit on Turkmenistan’s Caspian coast to draft plans for joint transport corridors, energy exports and trade links amid shifting geopolitical dynamics across Eurasia.