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The "Belt and Road Initiative" (BRI), also referred to as the "One Belt, One Road" project, was unveiled in 2013 by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The BRI encompasses two primary segments: the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) and the Maritime Silk Road (MSR). These segments aim to link China with Africa and Europe through extensive land and maritime networks, incorporating six significant corridors.
A pivotal milestone for the BRI took place on November 6, 2019, when Ankara, Turkey, welcomed the first freight train originating from Xi'an, the capital of China's Shaanxi Province. This train journeyed through the Marmaray tunnel beneath the Bosporus in Istanbul, marking the inaugural use of this route. The 850-meter-long train symbolizes the fulfillment of the Silk Railway "Middle Corridor" vision.
Turkey has proposed its version of a new Silk Road, termed the "Middle Corridor." This proposal includes the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway line, which serves as a crucial component of the Middle Corridor. The block container train services are designed to travel from Xi'an, China, entering Turkey through cities such as Kars, Erzurum, Erzincan, Sivas, Kayseri, Kırıkkale, Ankara, Eskişehir, Kocaeli, Istanbul (via the Marmaray tunnel), and Kapıkule (Edirne), before finally reaching Europe.
The core objective of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is to enhance logistical infrastructure, thereby expanding trade connections across Asia, Africa, and Europe via roadways and maritime routes. The railway is set to reduce the freight transportation time between China and Turkey from one month to 12 days, while the entire route from China to Western Europe will take approximately 18 days, facilitated by the integration of the Marmaray tunnel in Istanbul.
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is projected to be a transformative factor for the future global economy. It represents a grand strategy aimed at bolstering Chinese influence worldwide. This initiative is channeling investments into regions that are significantly underdeveloped in terms of infrastructure. Given its strategic location within the Middle Corridor, Turkey is poised to gain substantial benefits from this ambitious project.