In light of the intensive economic growth on the one hand, and the escalating geopolitical tension in the world on the other, Tashkent is actively enhancing the diversification of trade routes, with a particular focus on the development of transport communications in the western, eastern and southern directions. The key objective is not only to gain access to open seas and emerging markets, but also to reduce transport and logistics costs.
Sanctions imposed on Russia following the onset of the crisis in Ukraine have hampered the functioning of the Northern Corridor, which previously served as the primary route for Eurasian exports to Europe. Among other states, China actively used Russian transit, so at the height of the conflict it had to urgently redirect land transport to the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) crossing Central Asia. This development has proven highly advantageous for Uzbekistan, as the country is located at the heart of region and maintains direct transport links with all Central Asian republics as well as Afghanistan.
Thanks to its strategic location, Uzbekistan has successfully integrated into the updated Europe-China-Europe logistics chain, creating significant potential for a multiple growth in transit cargo transport. In the near term, their volume is expected to increase to 22 million tons per year. An important factor in this is the close cooperation between Uzbekistan and the Turkic states.
In 2019, Uzbekistan joined the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), prioritizing the transport cooperation within this framework to give additional impetus to the intensification of mutual trade and extension of logistical capabilities of member countries. The Uzbek authorities emphasized the necessity of establishing and developing competitive transport corridors from China to Europe and South Asia, passing through the Turkic countries. Essentially, these initiatives aims to create a common transport axis with accompanying conditions for fast and barrier-free movement of goods.
Based on this approach, the Programme for the connectivity of the OTS countries in the transport sector was developed and adopted. Within the framework of the Organization, the Transport Coordination Committee has been established in order to swiftly address current challenges in organizing international transport. Additionally, mechanisms for regular meetings between heads of transport departments and railway administrations have been introduced.
Through active cooperation among the states of Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Türkiye, several transport routes of interregional significance have been established.
In 2020 Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Georgia launched a multimodal transport corridor linking Central Asia with Transcaucasia. The parties agreed to apply preferential tariffs, which strengthened the viability of the new route. Türkiye later joined the project, contributing to the creation of Central Asia-South Caucasus-Anatolia (CASCA+) transport corridor. This route has been integrated into the broader international transit network connecting the Asia-Pacific region with Europe via China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.
This concept fully meets Tashkent’s requests for development and mutually beneficial use of the Trans-Caucasian Corridor, which serves as the gateway to Europe. Under the GSP+ preference system, Uzbekistan has the opportunity to import more than 6,000 types of goods into the European Union duty-free. This contributes to an increase of exports of Uzbek products, and, consequently, a higher volume of trade flows. In 2024, the volume of international cargo transport in Uzbekistan reached approximately 60 million tons. The share of the European segment in it continues to grow, which is due to the steady growth of mutual trade turnover, which by the end of 2024 reached €6.4 billion. Germany and France rank among the top ten trading partners of Uzbekistan.
Strengthening trade ties between Uzbekistan and the EU requires establishing reliable transport communications and eliminating problems for mutual supply. The launch of the Central Asia-South Caucasus-Anatolia route has become a significant step in this direction.
The valuable purpose of the CASCA+ project is to provide Central Asian states with access to the vast market of Türkiye, which is steadily expanding its economic presence in the region. Ankara holds the leading position in Tashkent’s foreign trade and investment portfolio. Actually, 1,899enterprises with Turkish capital are operating in Uzbekistan (ranking third after China and Russia). The task has been set to increase the volume of bilateral trade to $5 billion in the shortest possible time, as well as to implement new investment projects totaling $10 billion. To further stimulate trade, both countries plan to reduce customs tariffs under the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), fostering deeper economic cooperation.
This measure is reinforced by close coordination between Türkiye and Uzbekistan to eliminate various barriers in the mutual transport, including digitalization of transport services. Both countries have already introduced the E-Permit electronic permit exchange system, and are working on improving this process.
The joint declaration following the second ministerial meeting of the trilateral cooperation format between Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Türkiye in January 2025 in Ankara expressed a common will to develop cooperation to facilitate transit flows. This position correlates with the development of the CASCA+ transport corridor, which serves as a vital complement to the currently operating and growing popularity of the Trans-Caspian Route, also known as the Middle Corridor. The CASCA+ project involves three Central Asian states—Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan—and notably bypasses Kazakhstan, a decision influenced by Tashkent’s transit preferences. Uzbekistan prioritizes the Turkmenistan-Caspian route, as it offers shorter transit times and lower costs compared to routes passing through Kazakhstan.
In December 2022, the first container train departed from Uzbekistan to the Bulgarian port of Burgas on CASCA+. The length of the route is more than 4,000 kilometers. This route represents the optimal distance for the Uzbek carriers, since due to Turkmen transit, saves time and money on transporting goods. The effect is quite scalable, especially given the start of China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project. Obviously, this transport route will not be confined with Central Asia, but will be extended to the Caspian Sea, and will be replaced by a Trans-Caucasus Corridor at the maritime border of Azerbaijan. This plan was first announced and supported by stakeholders in 2022 during the inaugural meeting of the dialogue format “Uzbekistan-Azerbaijan- Türkiye” in Tashkent.
It was proposed to create a consortium to coordinate the CASCA+ route in 2024. This will allow the project to reach an institutional level which will create a serious foundation in enhancing its competitive potential, and also transit capabilities of the countries of Central Asia, the South Caucasus and Türkiye.
The issue of increasing trade flows from Central Asia to Europe through the Caspian states and Türkiye is constantly on the agenda of specialized events of the Organization of Turkic States. Thus, in the fall of 2022, the first meeting of the heads of railways of the member countries of the OTS – Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Türkiye – was held in Tashkent. The host party noted the growth dynamics of the railway transport, including container transport, in the Turkic countries. The international multimodal route Asia-Pacific–Europe played a crucial role in achieving such results.
Participation in such a large-scale project allows Uzbekistan to build a transport and logistics network of export and transit traffic bypassing Russia. In addition, Uzbekistan gets the fastest and cheapest way to deliver its own goods to global markets. The organization of land transit from East Asia to Europe through Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan reduce the intercontinental trade route by 900 kilometers, and delivery times of goods by 7–8 days. This efficiency is achieved by the ability to extremely rapidly transport from China to Uzbekistan using the Kyrgyz highways. Now it takes only 2 days instead of 10 in transit through Kazakhstan. The launch of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway will further accelerate the process, which will strengthen the positions of Tashkent and Bishkek in the international transit track.
Uzbekistan’s proactive policy to create alternative routes for goods deliveries in the western direction has a tendency to develop. This trend is characterized by the emergence of new trade routes oriented towards Europe using the transit potential of both the Turkic states and external actors. Among the latter, Iran stands out due to its geographic proximity to Central Asia and its efforts to establish robust connections with the region.
In 2022, Tashkent and Istanbul launched a regular railway route Türkiye-Iran-Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan with a length of over 4,500 km – the shortest land route between the two countries. The first freight train, equipped with 40 wagons, arrived from Izmir to Tashkent on December 3, 2022. The monomodal nature of the new corridor contributes to reduce the time and financial costs of transporting goods, enhancing its profitability and providing a basis for further development.
Under the current circumstances, a multimodal corridor Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Türkiye is also being formed. Earlier, agreements were reached between Tehran and Bishkek on organizing mutual transport through Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The railway line runs from the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas to the city of Osh near the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border. Extending the route to Türkiye will be an additional opportunity for Kyrgyzstan to access European markets, which will certainly benefit the country’s economy.
Uzbekistan, being a relatively young member of the Organization of Turkic States, demonstrates a high level of activity in achieving the common goals and objectives of this association. The country’s efforts to strengthen the Turkic transport partnership deserve special attention.
In 2019, following the proposal of Tashkent, a new multimodal route from Central Asia to Europe was activated through Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan further on with access to the maritime borders of the Southern Caucasus. This initiative soon evolved into a larger project CASCA+ and became part of the intercontinental logistics chain of the Asia-Pacific countries-China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia- Europe, creating an alternative to the Middle Corridor.
The efforts of Uzbekistan to establish reliable export-transit routes in the western direction have a multiplier effect on the development of transport links and the extension of the transit potential of the OTS member countries. All this enhance to the Organization’s authority, turning it into an effective international structure.
Close cooperation with the Turkic states allows Uzbekistan to diversify the geography of exports, integrate into international transport corridors, and minimize transit costs. This strategy bolsters economic growth both for the republic itself and for the entire Central Asian region.
