MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Natia Turnava participated in the round table (Georgia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan) held within the framework of the Ministerial in Istanbul.

Natia Turnava delivered a speech explaining the role and need for regional transport and logistics connections between the countries, and, in this context she emphasized the importance of Georgia as a transcontinental actor. According to the Minister, the ambitious goal of the country is to be one of the best investment places on the world map. As she noted in her speech, improving transport links to further enhance the country’s economic potential remains an agenda.

At the same time, Natia Turnava stressed that for decades Georgia has been actively involved in various interconnection initiatives, including the TRACECA, the Intermediate Corridor, the Black Sea-Caspian Sea Corridor, which aims to create efficient, short and reliable transport routes between Europe and Asia.

“Georgia, together with partner countries, continues to further improve the efficiency and sustainability of these transport routes. The increase in the volume of cargo through Georgia clearly indicates the growth potential of the Europe-Asia transport corridor. Even during the COVID-19, we were able to maintain the operation and growth of our routes,” – the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development stated.

Natia Turnava informed her colleagues about the ongoing transport-infrastructure projects in Georgia and the existing plans in this direction. Turnava noted that the development of the healthy transport infrastructure and adequate opportunities is a priority for Georgia. In this regard, Natia Turnava focused on several projects, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line, ongoing construction of the East-West highway in Georgia and the development of port infrastructure. During the meeting, the Minister also stressed the importance of a close partnership between governments and businesses to build reliable and high-quality transport networks and ensure a faster recovery of the post-pandemic economy. According to Natia Turnava, Georgia is ready for active involvement in order to make better use of the growth potential of the country and the whole region.