Recent progress on the Middle Corridor and the expectation of a brisker pace in 2026 were outlined at "The Caspian at a Crossroads — What to Watch in 2026" Webinar on 22 January, organised by the Caspian Policy Center. The session assessed Central Asia's rising importance as multiple initiatives advance. Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, Managing Director, European Neighbourhood Council (ENC), highlighted that Central Asia is becoming much more important, especially given its formidable energy resources and the determination of regional governments to link into the world economy.
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan are critical suppliers to global markets with reserves of oil, natural gas, uranium, gold, copper, and rare-earth elements. Regional governments in recent years have been attracting investment through the Middle Corridor, the Trans-Afghan Corridor, and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). The webinar showed that multiple parallel initiatives — the EU's Global Gateway, China's Belt and Road Initiative, and the US-led C5+1 — are turning the region into a competitive arena.
Speakers emphasised that Central Asia's goal of opening doors to the world will be realised through accelerated infrastructure investment, digitalised customs processes, and harmonised cross-border logistics standards. Kazakhstan's Port of Aktau, Uzbekistan's Termez dry-port facilities, and Azerbaijan's Alat Port capacity expansion were cited as examples. The ENC and the Caspian Policy Center foresee 2026 as a critical year for Central Asia through corridor investments, tender wins, and the launch of new block train services.
Key Takeaways:
1. The Caspian Policy Center's 22 January webinar addressed recent Middle Corridor developments.
2. ENC's Samuel Doveri Vesterbye stressed Central Asia's rising importance due to its energy resources.
3. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and other regional nations are critical suppliers to global markets.
4. EU Global Gateway, China's Belt and Road, and US C5+1 initiatives compete in Central Asia.
5. 2026 will be a critical year with corridor investments and new block train services.
