silk-road
SOUTH-WEST COORIDOR
The concept of establishing a continuous trade route was initially proposed by Ararat Mirzoyan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, during his visit to India. Specifically, in November 2023, he suggested the potential of creating a trade corridor within Armenia's territory, aiming to streamline the transportation of Indian goods, bypassing the Black Sea route to Russia and European nations. At the same time, Yerevan and New Delhi started negotiations on signing a bilateral agreement on international road transport.
It is also noteworthy that in October 2023, an agreement on comprehensive economic partnership was signed between Georgia and the United Arab Emirates. It seems that new flows will be added to the cargo circulation from the south of the Caucasus in the future.
Also noteworthy is the fact that, as of November 2023, the United Arab Emirates became the largest investor in Armenia for the first time, overtaking Russia.
In December 2023, official Yerevan and Tehran emphasized that Armenia could become a transit country for Iran in the EAEU and European countries, and Iran in the countries of the Persian Gulf and Central Asia and India. For that Armenia will use Iranian ports.
The prospect of the South-West Corridor is supported by the fact that in December 2023, the National Assembly of Armenia ratified the agreement on cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters between the governments of the Republics of Armenia and India.
The strategic partnership signed between Georgia and Armenia in January 2024 was followed by the discussion of joint control models at border points between the customs authorities of the two countries. In February, Iranian companies started reconstruction works of the Kajaran-Agarak (Iranian border) road.
Thus, cargo from India can be delivered to the port of Chabahar (south-east of Iran), then by land to Armenia (by road or rail), then to Georgia and from there to ports in Bulgaria or Greece.
The South-West Corridor becomes more realistic because of Armenia's stated aspiration to join the European Union, as well as the initiation of the Gyumri "Dry Port" project. The Dutch international consulting company - MTBS is involved in the development of the technical-economic document of the Gyumri "Dry Port".
The road route from the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea, with a distance of 2,639 kilometers from the port of Bandar-Abbas to the port of Poti, will connect Indian traders with the markets of Russia and Europe. There is a clear possibility that interests in the route will emerge from the Gulf countries in the future.
TRACECA.GE