October 3-4, Turkmenistan hosted a high-level forum for European Union officials to announce a new platform focused on Middle Corridor development. The new Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor Coordination Platform demonstrates a European interest in Central Asia that is engaged and that also embraces the broader Caspian region.
The goal of the coordination platform will be the to promote the Middle Corridor and “the coordination of efforts towards the implementation of priority projects in hard and soft infrastructure” in Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Türkiye. Jutta Urpilainen, EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, described the platform at the summit as the “connectivity flagship” of the EU’s Global Gateway investment program. In her Ashgabat remarks, Urpilainen underscored the EU’s commitment to connectivity, which she described as “the core of the EU Global Gateway Strategy, as well as a key element in our partnership with Central Asia, South Caucasus and Türkiye.”
On the sidelines of the summit, officials took several other steps in EU-Turkmen relations. This included the EU announcement that it would launch a regional transit program for Central Asia in 2025, discussions focused on an EU-Turkmenistan green energy initiative, and meetings between Commissioner Urpilainen and a number of Turkmenistan officials, including President Serdar Berdimuhamedov.
That the European Union is interested in the Middle Corridor has been long established. In January 2024, the EU Global Gateway Program announced a €10 billion investment in Central Asian connectivity. But Brussels’s engagement relating to the Middle Corridor has investments centered primarily in Central Asia and not necessarily the full East-West length of the Middle Corridor.
However, the October meeting in Turkmenistan stands out for its multi-lateral structure and inclusion of the broader Caspian region. The summit in Ashgabat involved not only European and Central Asian representatives, but those from the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank as well as Armenian, Georgian, Azerbaijani, and Turkish officials.
The South Caucasus and Türkiye are critical to the Middle Corridor, forming the last link of the route before reaching European markets. Goods and resources exit Turkish and Georgian ports before crossing the Mediterranean or Black Seas. With Armenia and Azerbaijan working towards a peace and normalization deal, which in turn would allow the opening of Armenia’s borders with Türkiye, Middle Corridor transit across the South Caucasus could take off in the next few years.
The EU and its Global Gateway captured a good deal of attention with a promise of €10 billion earlier this year. But the newly announced coordination platform is providing more substantive information as to exactly how Europe intends to engage further with the Caspian region. Coordination with countries across Central Asia and the South Caucasus would seem to forecast a greater role for Europe in the region for years to come.
