Uzbekistan has sent a copper train to Europe for the first time on a new route that bypasses Russia, the state-run Uzbek Railways announced on Monday as part of the Central Asian country's plan to maintain trade ties with the European Union.
The train will deliver 46 railcars and 91 units of 20-foot containers of copper concentrate from the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Combine over 4,000 km to Bulgaria, the report said.
The route, known as the Middle Corridor, crosses Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as Caspian and Black Seas via rail ferries.
Brussels promoted the Middle Corridor as an alternative to the traditional Northern Europe-Asia rail route that passes through Russia.
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) ) said last month that he was ready to invest billions of euros in the development of cargo routes between Europe and Asia, bypassing Russia
