The China Railway Express
The China Railway Express, the first freight train that depart from China to Europe using the Marmaray, is scheduled to arrive Turkey on Nov. 5. The train will be the first freight train in the history to reach Europe continent via the Marmaray.
Located at the crossroads of the Balkans, Caucasus, the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey has historically been of a key part of ancient Silk road. As China introduced BRI aimed at reviving the ancient road, Turkey’s intention to be an active partner of BRI has been delivered by various Turkish authorities. At the top level, President Erdogan expressed his willingness to participate the initiative, by personally attending to the Belt of Road International Cooperation Forum, in May 2017. During his speech at the opening ceremony Turkish president showed his support for OBOR, stating: “I believe there is a win-win project to serve peace and stability in the future, As Turkey we are ready to provide all kind of support for this initiative and wish to bring our unique geographical location into full play.”
Turkey’s Middle Corridor Initiative
Turkey has showed a great interest to China’s OBOR proposal, which also matches up with Turkey’s “Middle Corridor” initiative which aimed to boost inter-connectivity between Asia and Europe. Trans-Caspian East-West-Middle Corridor Initiative, -shortly named as “The Middle Corridor”- described in the official website of Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs as: “... begins in Turkey and passes through the Caucasus region Georgia, Azerbaijan, crosses the Caspian Sea, traverses Central Asia and reaches China, is one of the most important component of the efforts to revive the ancient Silk Road.” The initiative passes by rail and road respectively through Georgia, Azerbaijan and Caspian Sea, (crossing the Caspian transit corridor) and reaches China by following Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Kyrgyzstan or Kazakhstan route. The initiative provides a more economical and faster trade route between the Euro and Asia, compared to the Trans-Siberian Railway (Northern Corridor). It is stated in Turkish resources that the Middle Corridor is 2.000m shorter than the Northern corridor, and shortens the travel time by 1/3rd (15 days) compared to the sea route.
(Retrieved from: Anadolu Agency)
An important component of the Middle Corridor, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) Railway was inaugurated on 30 October 2017. Starting in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, trains stop in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, pass through gauge-changing facilities in the Georgian town of Akhalkalaki and end their journey in the eastern Turkish town of Kars. Providing the shortest rail link between Europe and Asia, the BTK railway link is aiming to provide an uninterrupted trade between the China and Europe, and has the initial capacity of 1 million passengers and 6.5 million tons of cargo, which is foreseen to be increased to 3 million passengers and 17 million tons of cargo per year by 2034, according to the official statement released from the Turkish MFA. In this regard, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Ali Naci Koru stated that: “The Middle Corridor is one of the most important components of the revitalization of the historical Silk road.”
(Retrieved from: Yenisafak)
Various Projects aimed at Enhancing regional interconnectivity
Besides the BTK, various infrastructure initiatives aimed at connecting Europe with Asia has been completed in recent years. These projects including: “Marmaray” an undersea rail project, the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge (carrying a rail-way) in Istanbul which was inaugurated on 26 August 2016, the Eurasia Tunnel Project that was inaugurated on 20December 2016.Besides these completed projects, there are several ongoing projects aiming at the same goal: the Three-Level Tube Tunnel Project in Istanbul, Çanakkale Strait Bridge project, Edirne-Kars High Speed Rail project, and the construction of Filyos, Çandarlı and Mersin ports are major examples of further ongoing national projects that will also enhance regional interconnectivity.
(Retrieved from the Turkish MFA’s official website)
Legal Amendments
Through these projects which are mostly complements the overall goals of BRI, Turkey has expressed its intention in actively participating the BRI. In this regard, “Memorandum of Understanding on Aligning the Belt and Road Initiative and the Middle Corridor Initiative” was signed between Turkey and China in November 2015 during theG-20 Leaders Summit in Antalya. “Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Railways between the government of China and Turkey” has signed between the two countries in 2015. The agreement aimed at promoting cooperation of Turkish and Chinese railway companies on developing the components of China-Europe railway remaining in Turkish territories.
First Fruits of Cooperation
The China Railway Express, the first freight train that depart from China to Europe using the Marmaray, is scheduled to arrive Turkey on Nov. 5. The train will be the first freight train in the history to reach Europe continent via the Marmaray, and will be the first concrete result of integration of the Middle Corridor to China’s BRI. Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Cahit Turhan, expressed his enthusiasm for welcoming “the first freight train that will passthrough the Marmaray.” He further stated that: “BTK railway route, is the most economic, the safest and the most convenient route connecting China-Central Asia and the Middle East, and aiming to carry 6.5 million tons of freight in the long term.” Preparations for a welcoming ceremony are taking place to welcome The China Railway Express, according to the Turkish resources.
图文来源于：editor: Shanghai University 阿善
文章来源：
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/7ugDGAdsACb-90ht9Fh3QQ
