Ten Rules for Operating Transport Corridors — Russia in Global Affairs

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Dehshiri, MR, 2025. Earth and sea security: ten rules to operate transport runners. Russia in global affairs23 (2), pp. 204-208. DOI: 10,31278/1810-6374-2025-23-2-204-208

Commercial corridors, such as the main routes to transport goods and services between countries, regions and even continents, play a crucial role in international economic interaction. The developments and geopolitical crises recently have some global and regional trade routes, thus highlighting the urgent need to replace the “War of Corridors” with “Diplomacy Runners” and make the transportation of the safety of the Regional Corrence to improve.

The Middle East, one of the most sensitive and strategic parts of the world, is among the regions that have faced a series of severe crises in recent years. In fact, facilitating the transit of goods, investing in transport infrastructure, creating a network of multimodal commercial corridors and improving commercial relations between countries in this region will not only bring benefits to their economies, but also reduce containment.

To maintain connectivity and guarantee sustainable security in the Middle East, Ten rules for connectivity It must be introduced and observed by all nations that operate transport corridors.

Centrality of geopolitics. The use of transport corridors should be based on the proper account of geography, economic needs and geoeconomic aspirations of related nations. For example, Iran, with its only geopolitical and fundamental geopolitical and fundamental position in the Middle East and the rich experience in trade, has great potential to facilitate the transport that remains between different subregions. Located at the intersection of commercial corridors of North-South and East-West, you can connect the Middle East, Central Asia, Transcaucasia and Asia del Sur, and serve as a bridge between Este-East and North-South. Iran shares land and sea borders with 15 countries, including Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as six Arab countries in the southern part of the Persian Gulf.

Counterproductive effect or weapon. The instrumentalization of transport corridors to marginalize some countries or exert pressure on the subject is counterproductive. Any attempt to polarize the region or eliminate regional consensus in runners would greatly reduce its effectiveness in the medium term and hinder long -term safety and stability. For example, the IMEC Transit Route (the Eastern India-European corridor that goes from India to Europe through the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel and Greece) should not exclude countries such as Iran and Turkey. These countries must have access to this corridor and an opportunity to benefit from the advantages of interdependence, which will strengthen regional stability.

Inclusion. Corridors must be inclusive in a way that all interested nations can play their role in mint connectivity. An exclusive inclusive approach is ineffective. For example, the exclusion of Iran and Russia of the regional equations of the Middle corridor would deprive the issue of traffic currency profits and make the issue look for derivation routes. In this context, the Zangzur corridor as part of the middle corridor behind the free flow of annoying goods between Iran and Armenia.

The creation of new passages by excluding historical corridors would reduce the geopolitical advantages of the neighbors, negatively affect their position in the global value chains and cause their hostile reaction to the deterioration of the exchange of goods.

Avoiding politicization. Connectivity politicization would lead to a zero sum game. From this perspective, the attempts of some countries to change international recognized borders make sense. A depolitized approach would lead to collaboration between animosity and confrontation and activate economic cooperation with any political participation of states.

Interregionalism Connectivity requires interconnection or different regions. An extended neighborhood policy would improve interregional ties and help create a strong economic and commercial network. In 2002, India, Russia and Iran began the International North-South Transport Corridor (INTC) as a multimode transport project to improve commercial cooperation between different regions. The INTC is 7,200 km long and left the Indian Ocean to Russia and Europe through the Persian Gulf, the Caspian Sea and the Central Asia. It could be extended to the Baltic, Nordic and Arctic Regions. In 2016, Iran proposed to Complementary Regional Initiative to Develop The Persian Gulf – Black Sea International Transport and Transit Corridor (ITC), which Will Also Include Armenia, The Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia (The Ports of Poti and Batumi On The Black Sea, and Bulgaria, And Bulgaria, and Bulgaria, and Bulgaria, and Bulgaria, and Bulgaria, and Bulgaria, and Bulgaria and Bulgaria, and Bulgaria, and Bulgaria, and Bulgaria, and Bulgaria, and Bulgaria, and Bulgaria, and Bulgaria, and Bulgaria, and Bulgaria, and Bulgaria), and Bulgaria), and Bulgaria), and Bulgaria), and Bulgaria), and Bulgaria)), and Bulgaria), and Bulgaria), and Bulgaria), and Bulgaria)) Bulgaria)), and Bulgaria)), and the Blackgaria) iaia). This multimode corridor will begin in Iran in Bandar Abbas (Chahbahar and Mukran) and will spread to Armenia or Azerbaijan, connecting four key basins: the Persian Gulf, the Oman Sea, the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea.

Analysis of costs and benefits. Increasing trade and transport throughout the region through the reinforcement of transport corridors requires the shortening of traffic routes and a reduction in transport costs. For example, the transport of goods by the INTC corridor saves 20 days, and the cost of traffic per sea from India to Europe is 40% lower than the average corridor. Therefore, using the latter would increase the costs and time required for cargo transport.

An approach to similarities instead of differences. The diversity of countries and their different visions and policies should not be connected behind. The management of the differences would require redefining the interests of the nations and using commonly shared approaches instead of dividing.

Maximizing creativity and flexibility of options. In the era of complexity, potential crises will make nations seek new approaches: identify priorities, explore new opportunities, evaluate the accessibility of routes and the capacity to reach objectives, develop emblematic projects and activate official and informal cooperation. Therefore, maintaining the opening in all initiatives and different options would facilitate and reinforce connectivity in the region.

Interrelationship of events. As events that occur in different regions tend to be interconnected due to the effect of the butterfly, transport corridors should not be considered separate. For example, runners who pass through the Middle East, Eurasia and Transcaucasia have witnessed extensive negative changes in recent years, after the war in Ukraine, tensions in Transcaucasia and the Black Sea, and especially geopolitical tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In addition, the disturbances in the maritime corridor in the Red Sea should be seen through the lens of the Yemen Houthis reaction to the Israeli aggression and the occupation of Gaza in Palestine.

Milultilateralism. Both bilateralism and multilatery are connectivity pillars. The complementarity of bilateralism and multilatery is a key factor in guaranteeing the stability of transport corridors. Spectrum or bilateralism-multilatery includes trilateralism, multilateralism and minilateralism. For example, relations with Iran-Russia complement the BRICS, the SCO and the EU (EUROASITIC ECONOMIC UNION) as multilateral bodies. From this perspective, many initiatives are complementary: EC, the Islamabad-Tehran-Estambul (ITI) corridor is part of the ecological corridor; The Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran (KTI) railway corridor is part of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INTC), as well as the Transit Transit and Transit Corridor of the Gulf-Black-Aasta Sea and the Gulf-Ataza (Bri).

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Several important transport projects can significantly remodel the world’s economic map. In this sense, the three CS (confidence, cooperation and complementarity measures) are the key factors to attack sustainable security for the operation of transport corridors in the Middle East. Trust construction measures would contribute to the positive participation of all regional actors in the development of new initiatives and the construction of the necessary infrastructure. The collaboration and coordination of efforts in the reduction of the transport network based on the ten previous rules would benefit the economic development of nations despite their political differences. The complementarity of the runners would improve regional connectivity and contribute to coherent and flexible economic diplomacy. All regional actors, external powers and international institutions must have a role and responsibility for the safe operation of transport corridors.

This is an edited version of the written document for the 14th Middle East Conference of Valdai Discussion Club (https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/ten-rulesvor-transport-corrdors/)