The ambassador of Kazakhstan to the EU says transit routes such as Central Asia’s Middle Corridor are becoming “indispensable” for ensuring stability and sustainable growth.
The issue is of “growing strategic”, not least for the “new opportunities” it creates for connectivity between Europe, Central Asia and the broader Eurasian region, said Roman Vassilenko.
The ambassador was speaking in the EU Parliament on Wednesday (19 November) at a debate, entitled “Strengthening EU-Kazakhstan connectivity: Prospectives and Strategic Potential of the Middle Corridor.”
The diplomat told the packed meeting that the Middle Corridor is a route that
“not only diversifies global logistics but also embodies our shared principles of openness, predictability and cooperation.”
He said that, in order to fulfil this role, his country was pursuing
“ambitious infrastructure development and modernization plans.”
These, he noted, include upgrading railways, expanding port capacities and digitilising customs procedures.
This will ensure, he added, that transit through his country is “faster, more efficient and fully aligned” with global standards.
His country, he said, “stands ready” to work closely with the EU and all regional partners to ensure that the new corridors of Eurasia “are defined not by competition but by collaboration.”
The event was attended by several key stakeholders, MEPs and others who debated the potential of the Middle Corridor and also current hurdles that need to be overcome to allow it to reach its full potential.
The Middle Corridor, a means of transporting goods across Central Asia to Europe, starts in China and passes through several countries, including Kazakhstan.
The event was timely as it coincides with the tenth anniversary of the EU-Kazakhstan Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.
Relations between the 27-strong EU and Kazakhstan have strengthened in recent years and the Union is now the land-locked country’s largest investment and trading partner, accounting for some 30 per cent of external trade and no less than 40 per cent of its foreign investment.
In 2024, the event heard, trade between the two sides reached about 44 billion US Dollars, up 4 per cent compared to the year before, with EU investments around 10 billion US Dollars that same year.
The Middle Corridor is vital not just for moving goods from A to B but also for fostering ideas, culture and economic growth and Kazakhstan is fast positioning itself as a logistics leader, the conference also heard.
Another speaker at the 2 hour debate was Sergey Lagodinsky, an MEP and also chair of the delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly.
He noted that the current geo political landscape had “changed profoundly”, making the need for Europe to “diversify routes, partners and dependencies” all the more urgent.
For Europe, he told the audience, the lesson is clear: “the age of relying largely on one northern rail corridor through Russia or one maritime choke point is over. In that context, Kazakhstan and the Middle Corridor are not just interesting options – they are becoming part of Europe’s strategic insurance policy.”
The MEP said the direction of travel is also clear: “demand is there and it is rising.”
“The question is whether we can make the corridor reliable and affordable enough to match that demand.”
There were other challenges to face, he said, adding,
“We should not forget what kind of connectivity we are trying to build”.
“Do we want corridors that are opaque, high carbon and exposed to arbitrary political pressure? Or corridors that are transparent, green and anchored in a rules-based order.”
With sufficient support he predicts the corridor “can be transformed form a backup option into a genuinely competitive artery of Eurasian trade”.
In in a world “reshaped” by Russia’s war against Ukraine, the EU, he added, sees connectivity “not merely as infrastructure bur as a matter of strategic security.”
Another MEP was Ilhan Kyuchyuk, chair of the legal affairs committee who hosted of the event, who said the corridor was not just a means of transportation but of building “bridges” between continents.
Some issues still remain before this can be achieved, however, and that was why it is vital for all partners involved to cooperate together,he went on.
From the European Commission, Fabienne van den Eede, the executive’s deputy head of unit for Central Asia and Afghanistan, told the debate that connectivity was also about “forging trusted partnerships,” particularly vital at a time of acute uncertainty across the globe.
She added,
“But we must remove those existing bottlenecks and this is where the EU can bring its expertise to bear.”
Her comments were partly echoed by Samuel Vesterbye, managing director at the European Neighbourhood Council, a Brussels based think tank, who said the world was undergoing “geo political pressure” that posed a “threat” to global trade and trade routes.
He added that the Middle Corridor will help address this. It was also important, he noted, to acknowledge that the route is a “regional entity in its own right” as well as connecting Europe and Central Asia.
Another speaker on the panel was Jasmin Ploner, principal manager at the EBRD EU Representative Office, who pointed to a recent EBRD study highlighting future measures which, she said, include providing more “certainty” for the private sector.
Aigul Kuspan, a Kazakh MP and chair of the Kazakh parliament’s committee on international affairs,defence and security, predicted that the corridor will help “shape” future relations and trade between the EU and her country.
Kuspan, a former Kazakh ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg, also told the event that improving “east-west connectivity” with what is a “modern Silk Road” should be supported as it will foster “faster, safer and more efficient” trade routes.