The Middle Corridor is one of the most attractive transport routes for Uzbekistan, Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan Laziz Kudratov said during the panel discussion titled “Rebuilding Trust in a Fragmented World: Azerbaijan as a Strategic Gateway Across Regions” held as part of the Azerbaijan International Investment Forum (AIIF 2026) in Baku, APA reports.
The minister said that the war and the challenges it has created have significantly increased the time required to transport goods from Uzbekistan to Europe.
“Today, due to the conflicts, this period has doubled. It takes at least 20 days to deliver our goods from Uzbekistan to Europe. This is a major issue that we need to address,” Laziz Kudratov said.
According to him, Uzbekistan is therefore working with its partners primarily on transport and logistics issues and diversifying the routes used for freight transportation.
“We are diversifying our transport corridors. One of the most attractive routes for us is the Middle Corridor,” the minister emphasized.
Laziz Kudratov noted that freight volumes along the Middle Corridor have doubled over the past two to three years and continue to grow.
“This year, we are also seeing positive growth of approximately 30%. We are currently working to create new opportunities and capacity for freight transportation,” he said.
The minister also highlighted Azerbaijan's role in the development of the Middle Corridor. According to him, Uzbekistan intends to expand cooperation with Azerbaijan in this area, make new investments and create additional opportunities.
Laziz Kudratov also said that expanding trade and economic ties within the region is one of Uzbekistan's key priorities.
“We attach priority importance to developing broader and stronger trade and economic ties within the region. Trade between the Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan has already reached $13 billion. The goal is to increase mutual trade within the region to $20 billion by 2030,” the minister said.
He emphasized that cooperation is not limited to trade, noting that industrial partnerships and joint investments are also important areas of cooperation.
“We are not talking only about trade. We are talking about industrial partnerships and joint investments. For example, Uzbekistan has investments in Azerbaijan in textiles, the automotive industry and a number of other sectors. Azerbaijan also invests in Uzbekistan in mining, real estate, energy and other sectors,” Kudratov said.
According to the minister, this cooperation contributes to the formation of a common market and a shared economic and business space between the two countries.
“This shows that we are working together to create a common market, a common economic and business space. The larger the integrated region with coordinated policies, the better it is for us in terms of investment and business,” he said.
Kudratov emphasized that cooperation with Azerbaijan will continue toward making Central Asia a stronger and more integrated region.
He also noted that energy security is of great importance to Uzbekistan.
“Given today's high energy prices, energy security is of great importance to Uzbekistan. We are investing in diversifying our sources of electricity,” the minister said.
According to him, Uzbekistan has currently increased the share of renewable energy sources in electricity generation to approximately 30%.
“By 2030, we will ensure that the share of solar, wind, hydropower and gas in our energy generation reaches 54%,” Kudratov said.
The minister noted that Uzbekistan and Central Asia as a whole have significant potential for solar and wind energy generation. He also said that joint projects with Azerbaijan aimed at delivering the region's green energy to Europe are currently being discussed and developed.
“We are currently discussing and developing a joint project with Azerbaijan to deliver green and affordable electricity from our region to Europe. Work in this direction is progressing rapidly,” the Uzbek minister said.
Kudratov added that new and larger-scale projects connecting Central Asia with Europe could be implemented in the coming years.
“We believe that in the coming years, we will be able to implement new, major projects that will connect Central Asia and Europe. We share the same vision with Azerbaijan and other Central Asian countries on areas of joint action aimed at achieving sustainable and long-term growth and transforming Central Asia into a common investment space,” Laziz Kudratov emphasized.
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