Turkey Advances 'Middle Corridor' Trade Route as Alternative to Strait of Hormuz

Turkish officials are moving forward with plans to reopen the country's frontier with Armenia as part of efforts to establish the 'Middle Corridor' as a viable trade route connecting Europe and Asia. The initiative has received backing from former U.S. President Donald Trump and is being promoted as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime chokepoint through which significant global oil shipments pass. The reopening of the Turkey-Armenia border would unlock new overland transit options for goods moving between the two continents, potentially reducing reliance on traditional sea routes through geopolitically sensitive areas. The Middle Corridor, also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, would traverse Turkey, the Caucasus region, and Central Asia, offering shippers a land-based option that bypasses both Russian territory to the north and the Persian Gulf maritime routes to the south.