The Role of the North–South International Transport Corridor in Rethinking the Transport Framework of Eurasia

On 9 December 2025, the Institute of World Military Economy and Strategy, jointly with the Autonomous Non-Profit Organization Directorate of International Transport Corridors, held a roundtable entitled “The Role of the International North–South Transport Corridor in Rethinking Eurasia’s Transport Framework” within the framework of the 7th International Conference “The Global Majority and the West amid Geo-economic and Civilizational Transformations.” The roundtable was conducted with the support of Russian Science Foundation Grant No. 25-68-00031.

The session was moderated by Alexey A. Bezborodov, CEO of InfraProjects and one of Russia’s leading experts in logistics.

Presentations were delivered by:

• Georgy Asatryan (Russian Federation, HSE University) on “The International North–South Transport Corridor as a Means of Rethinking Russia’s Strategy in the Near Abroad”;
• Alexey Chikhachev (Russian Federation, HSE University) on “The North–South Transport Corridor and European Countermeasures”;
• Ruslan Golikov (Russian Federation, ANO Directorate of International Transport Corridors) on “The Three Branches of the North–South Transport Corridor in Comparative Perspective: Advantages, Limitations, and Challenges”;
• Alexey Bezborodov (Russian Federation, InfraProjects) on “Logistics in Greater Eurasia: The Real and the Illusory”;
• Olga Biryukova (Russian Federation, HSE University) on “International Corridors: From Transport Routes to Economic Spaces”;
• Murad Sadygzade (Republic of Azerbaijan, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, HSE University) on “Prospects of the IMEC Project as a Competitor to the North–South Transport Corridor and the Israeli Factor.”

The roundtable discussions focused on the implementation and further development of the International North–South Transport Corridor, the evolving landscape of alternative and competing initiatives, and the prospects for the development of logistics and transport in Russia and Eurasia more broadly. Particular attention was paid to issues of transport connectivity and the promotion of regional economic development in the context of the emergence of a multipolar world and intensifying geopolitical competition.

The discussion also addressed logistics within the framework of Greater Eurasia and the transition from transport corridors to integrated economic spaces. Special emphasis was placed on alternative projects, including the IMEC initiative, and their implications for the balance of power, the interests of regional actors, and the prospects of the North–South Transport Corridor.