Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan launch new “Silk Road” bypassing Russia

The railway connection has finally returned to full capacity.

Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan have launched a railway connection on the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars route. The new section is part of the Trans-Caspian route, connecting Asia and Europe, bypassing Russia, the Turkish Demirören Haber Ajansı agency reported .

The official opening ceremony of the railway, which is now operating at full capacity, took place on Tuesday in the Georgian city of Akhalkalaki near the Turkish border.

“The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line is one of the most important transport projects implemented through the joint efforts of the three countries. Since 2017, it has made a significant contribution to the development of the Middle Corridor and played an important role in strengthening ties between Asia and Europe. Today, with the completion of infrastructure work on the Georgian section, we are entering a new stage of more efficient and effective operation of the line,” said Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu.

The government official added that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line is not only a regional transport project, but also a strategic initiative that determines the future of global integration.Read also:

“The availability of high-capacity corridors that are reliable, predictable and uninterrupted is more important than ever. Today, the world needs not just new trade routes, but reliable trade routes. Therefore, we consider it extremely significant that the expansion of the BTK railway line capacity was completed at such a time,” says Uraloglu.

With the increase in the capacity of the highway, the role of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars section in the Trans-Caspian route should increase, project participants are convinced.

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The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route , or the Middle Corridor, with a total length of over 4,250 km, passes through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, bypassing the territory of Russia. The highway connects China and Europe. Beijing is interested in increasing transportation along the route.

Meanwhile, the fuel crisis triggered by US President Donald Trump’s war on Iran could cause new airline bankruptcies around the world .

(C)UNIAN 2026