ISTANBUL
Türkiye could emerge as a key hub in global supply chains with the opening of the Zangezur transport corridor, a route set to connect western Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic through Armenia.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint declaration at the White House last week, after talks hosted by US President Donald Trump.
Trump said the two countries had agreed to a deal that could last up to 99 years, covering the development of the corridor and ensuring Armenia’s national sovereignty while granting Azerbaijan full access to Nakhchivan.
Analysts say the project will offer Türkiye fresh opportunities to integrate energy, transportation, and digital infrastructure. Railway lines, pipelines, and fiber optic networks along the route could bolster Türkiye’s role as a regional energy and communications hub while cutting costs.
Bilgehan Engin, president of the Turkish Forwarding and Logistics Association (UTIKAD), called the corridor a strategic step in reshaping regional trade and geopolitical balances.
"The Zangezur corridor has a chance to turn Türkiye into a logistics bridge between the east and the west," he told Anadolu, noting that the route begins in China and extends to Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye via the Caspian Sea before continuing to Europe.
Engin said the corridor would boost the effectiveness of the Middle Corridor trade route and ease customs barriers in Georgia.
“Türkiye will establish direct land and rail connections to Central Asia via this route, shortening transportation times and reducing costs,” he said. “This corridor will strengthen Türkiye’s central position in Eurasia and facilitate closer economic and cultural ties with Turkic countries.”
"The US' influence over the corridor could threaten China's trade security, while the route can also reduce Russia's influence in the South Caucasus and create political pressure limiting Türkiye's logistics leadership—Türkiye has to manage this process with geopolitical and geo-economic sensitivities in mind, maintaining strategic autonomy and pursuing a balance in policy in line with the region," he added.
Engin added that aligning regional infrastructure, integrating digital customs systems, increasing Marmaray railway cargo capacity, and completing the railway link to the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge over the Istanbul Strait would “make Türkiye an indispensable actor in regional trade and in global supply chains.”