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Qabil Ashirov

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The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is entering a period in which connectivity and economic cooperation are becoming increasingly important alongside its traditional focus on regional security. As representatives gather in Bishkek, the organization’s evolving role offers an opportunity to consider a broader question: how can Eurasia’s increasingly connected economies make better use of their geographic advantages?

The organization’s expanding economic and connectivity agenda is particularly relevant for Azerbaijan, which cooperates with the SCO as a partner. This is especially true because Azerbaijan has become an important link in the Middle Corridor, connecting Central Asia and China with the South Caucasus, Türkiye and European markets.

The Middle Corridor, formally known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, connects China and Central Asia with the South Caucasus and Europe through the Caspian Sea. Its importance has grown as businesses and governments across Eurasia have sought to develop efficient and reliable transportation links between major economic centers.

The SCO is particularly relevant to this discussion because its geographical reach includes many of the economies located along, or connected to, major Eurasian trade routes. China and the Central Asian states are central to the organization, while countries such as Iran, India, Pakistan, Russia and Belarus add further economic and geographic dimensions to the wider network.

This does not mean that the SCO itself is becoming a transport organization, however, its growing emphasis on economic cooperation creates a platform where connectivity projects, trade facilitation and infrastructure development can complement one another. And for Azerbaijan, this presents a significant opportunity as the country occupies a strategic position between the Caspian Sea and the South Caucasus and has invested heavily in transportation infrastructure. The Port of Alat, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, highways, airports and other logistics facilities form an interconnected system designed to support international transit.

According to Azerbaijani official figures, cargo traffic through the Middle Corridor via Azerbaijan has increased by approximately 90 percent since 2022. At the same time, Azerbaijan is expanding the capacity of the Port of Alat from 15 million to 25 million tons annually, which illustrates an important change. The Middle Corridor is no longer simply a geographic concept on a map. Increasing cargo volumes and infrastructure investments indicate that it is gradually becoming a functioning component of Eurasian trade.

Besides, a successful international corridor requires more than individual infrastructure projects that push railways, ports, roads, customs systems and logistics companies to operate as one interconnected chain. A container moving from China to Europe does not benefit fully from efficient infrastructure in one country if it faces delays at a border or port elsewhere.

This is why digitalization and coordination are becoming as important as physical infrastructure. Harmonized customs procedures, electronic documentation, predictable tariffs and regular container services can determine whether a corridor is commercially competitive.

Central Asia is particularly important in this regard. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan are increasingly connected to the wider Trans-Caspian network, while China remains a major source of trade flows. Greater integration between these markets could increase the volume of goods reaching the Caspian and subsequently Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan’s role is therefore not simply that of a transit country. It is increasingly positioned as a logistics platform linking different economic regions.

The Middle Corridor can also benefit from greater connectivity among the various transport projects developing across Eurasia. New rail links, upgraded ports and improved road infrastructure can create additional routes and reduce pressure on individual sections of the network.

This is where the broader SCO discussion becomes relevant. If cooperation among its partners and members produces better coordination in transport, trade and infrastructure, the benefits can extend beyond the organization’s immediate framework. The same principle applies to cooperation between SCO countries and other regional partners.

For Azerbaijan, cooperation with the SCO provides another channel for engaging with the wider Eurasian economic and transportation network. Its geographic position gives it a practical role in connecting Central Asian economies with markets farther west, while the development of the Middle Corridor creates opportunities for increased trade and logistics activity.

The long-term significance of the Middle Corridor will ultimately be measured not by political declarations but by commercial performance: how much cargo it can carry, how quickly goods can move, how predictable the journey becomes and whether businesses find the route economically attractive.

The SCO’s growing interest in economic connectivity and Azerbaijan’s expanding role in the Middle Corridor therefore intersect naturally. Both reflect a wider transformation taking place across Eurasia: economies that were once separated by distance are becoming increasingly connected through infrastructure, trade and logistics.

The Middle Corridor’s future will depend on cooperation across the entire route. Azerbaijan can provide an important link, but its success will ultimately be a shared achievement involving China, Central Asia, the South Caucasus, Türkiye and European markets. In that sense, the story unfolding around the SCO and the Middle Corridor is not about one organization or one country. It is about how geography, infrastructure and economic cooperation are reshaping the way Eurasia trades.

Thus, Azerbaijan's cooperation with the SCO as a partner can complement this process by creating additional opportunities for economic dialogue and connectivity, while the Middle Corridor provides a concrete infrastructure framework through which those opportunities can develop.