MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

Mariam Kvrivishvili, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, received at a conference held within the framework of the USAID and TRACECA program, at which the prospects of international cargo transportation through various means of transportation in Georgia were discussed. The conference was also attended by the government delegations from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan cooperating under the TRACECA program.

In his welcoming speech, the Deputy Minister spoke about Georgia as a transport and logistics centre of the region and the infrastructure projects that contribute to the development of this function. According to Kvrivishvili, the interest in the transport corridors to Georgia has increased in the region, and against this background, the development of transport infrastructure in the country is especially important. Mariam Kvrivishvili spoke in detail about the priority projects, such as the East-West Highway, the railway modernization project, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, as well as the Georgian Port Infrastructure Development.

Deputy Minister also focused on the development of transport links with the European Union, including the intensification of freight and ferry traffic, which should increase the cargo flow from Asia to Europe and vice versa through the South Caucasus and Georgia. According to Kvrivishvili, Georgia will have the power to serve the increased cargo flow through its own transport infrastructure, as the country is actively working on its rapid development.

International participants of the conference will have the opportunity to examine the transport infrastructure of Georgia at the sites, including the services  provided by the ports and customs checkpoints.