Austrian-Kazakh Platform Prepares Austria's Economy for the New Silk Road with “Middle Corridor”

Amid geopolitical shifts and the urgent need to make global supply chains more resilient, the so-called Middle Corridor is increasingly becoming a focus of international trade considerations. The Trans-Caspian transport route—which connects Kazakhstan directly to the Black Sea region and Europe via the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey—is considered a key strategic route for bypassing northern routes.

Approximately 50 high-level decision-makers from the worlds of politics, diplomacy, and business gathered for an executive roundtable as part of the European Forum Alpbach. The event was hosted by the Austrian-Kazakh Connectivity Platform (AKCP), which had only been officially launched in the Austrian Parliament in July 2026.

From Political Declarations of Intent to Practical Implementation

The negotiations focused on the question of how declarations of intent can be quickly translated into functioning, economically viable logistics networks.

“The Middle Corridor has long been on the European political agenda. However, the next phase will not be determined by strategy documents, but rather by whether transit times are reduced, interfaces function effectively, and projects become economically viable for companies and investors,” emphasized Dr. Alexander Schierhuber, Vice President of the AKCP, who moderated the discussions in Alpbach.

The urgency of this matter is underscored by calculations from the World Bank and experts at the European Institute for Asian Studies (EIAS): Through targeted investments, capacity expansions at ports and rail hubs, and the digitization of cross-border customs procedures, transit times along the route could be cut in half by 2030. According to the experts, freight volume could triple compared to 2021, reaching around 11 million metric tons per year.

Billions in Investments from the European Union

There is also momentum coming from the European Union. Following the announcement in January 2024 of investments totaling approximately 10 billion euros for sustainable transportation links in Central Asia, another 12-billion-euro Global Gateway investment package for transportation, digitalization, raw materials, and energy was unveiled in April 2025. In June 2026, the European Commission also launched the Connectivity Agenda Platform to systematically expand the infrastructure corridors between Europe, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia.

Austrian Companies as Sought-After Technology Partners

At the meeting in Alpbach, high-ranking diplomats presented the perspectives of the transit countries—including the EU Special Representative for Central Asia, Ambassador Eduards Stiprais; the Georgian Ambassador, H.E. Alexander Maisuradze; Akan Aitimov (Counselor at the Embassy of Kazakhstan); and Dr. Andrii Grinenko from the private sector.

Prof. Dr. Karl Jurka, President of the AKCP, sees excellent opportunities for Austria as a business location: “The major infrastructure decisions of the coming years will shape the economic connection between Europe and Central Asia for decades to come. Austria has companies with significant expertise in the rail industry, infrastructure, energy, mechanical engineering, and industrial technologies. Our task as the AKCP is to match this expertise with specific needs and concrete projects along the corridor.”

AKCP

EIAS