An interesting side effect of the West's policy of sanctions against Russia is demonstrated by the fact that Central Asia, and Uzbekistan in particular, is actively involved in the construction of new transport corridors and the creation of interesting logistical combinations in Greater Eurasia.
Russia, which has been forced to abandon its traditional routes, is discussing with friendly partners from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan and India the possibility of building new transport centres and chains, which would effectively move goods between the North and the South. In this context, Uzbekistan, located in the centre of Central Asia, began to develop as a major player.
According to Bakhtiyor Elgashev, Director of the Ma'no Research Initiative Centre in Uzbekistan, when Russia decided to turn to the East as a result of Western sanctions and the cessation of access to European ports, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan realised that they had a considerable opportunity to realise and strengthen their own transit and transport capacities through various projects.
According to Elgashev, "the transit and transport potential of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan can be realised through projects of transport and communication links with the Asian territories of Russia, east of the Urals. "
Kyrgyzstan is becoming one of the main routes for parallel imports to Russia, mainly from China. Previously, Kyrgyzstan's sanctioned goods transited through Kazakhstan. However, because Astana agreed to comply with Western sanctions, specific problems and delays arose. To solve this problem, Kyrgyzstan and Russia are looking for workarounds. This route is one of the options for this workaround.
As Elgashev points out, the contours of this corridor are only just taking shape: the volume of cargo is still small. However, if this route continues to develop, it will be able to provide sufficient capacity during the period of sanctions between Russia and the EU, as well as during the period when Kazakhstan meets the EU's requirements. The West is trying to cut Russia off not only from the European market, but also from the Eastern market.
He also noted that Uzbekistan has to consider another problem, namely, the difficulty of transporting goods to and from Russia through Kazakhstan.
"There are problems with sanctioned goods. It is clear that Central Asian countries that transport goods to and from Russia, such as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, are forced to find alternative routes and corridors for the future. This is especially important if the sanctions become more severe and Kazakhstan complies with their requirements. In this case, the only viable option is the route to Russia through Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and the Caspian Sea. That would be the ideal option once Astana stops strictly complying with the requirements of the sanctions. At that point, there will be no need to look for alternative routes.
