MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Guram Guramishvili participated in the Global Getaway Investors Forum for EU-Central Asia Transport Connectivity, which was organized by the EU and held in Brussels.

“Located at the intersection of East and West, Georgia is ideally placed to play a bridging role between Asia and Europe, providing access to key markets not just for landlocked countries of South Caucasus and Central Asia but also for China and the EU. Thus, further development of the Middle Corridor as a short, reliable and attractive option for Europe-Asia traffic is a matter of high priority for us,” – Guram Guramishvili said in his speech at the session of the high-level investor forum.

Guramishvili participated in the parallel thematic session of the Forum - South Caucasus and Turkey: the strong connectivity link between Central Asia and Europe. In his speech, Deputy Minister spoke about the importance of the development of the transport links between Europe and Central Asia and Georgia as a key participant of the Middle Corridor in this process. In this regard, the Deputy Minister of Economy made a special emphasis on the need for the development of the marine transport sector and the corresponding infrastructure.
“The majority of goods traded between Europe and China are seaborne, accounting for around 80-85% of the total volumes. Diverting even a tiny portion of it to the Middle Corridor would have a tangible impact. This necessitates coordinated measures to ensure respective capacities and efficiencies across the entire corridor. A Roadmap for the development of the Middle Corridor is already in place, signed in Aktau, Kazakhstan in November 2022. It lists concrete measures to be implemented until 2027,” – Guramishvili stated.

The Deputy Minister also highlighted that the extension of the Trans-European European Network to the Eastern Partnership countries lays the ground for further expansion of our market reach. This entails mobilizing necessary investments for infrastructure upgrades and increasing interoperability and integration with the European transport system.

Guram Giramishvili introduced to the participant the important infrastructural projects implemented by the Georgian government in the direction of the development of the Middle Corridor, paying special attention to the railway modernization project which is planned to be completed in 2024 and will increase the annual capacity of the main railway line from 27mln tons to 48mln tons; the East-West Highway project where 260 km have already been constructed and once fully completed, the travel time through Georgia will be halved; Baku-Tbilisi-Kars New railway line construction which is almost accomplished.

The Deputy Minister also emphasized the role of the Black Sea in terms of Europe-Asia connectivity and the Anaklia Deep See Port project. “In 2023, the international traffic volumes of Georgia amounted to 27,2 million tons, while the number of containers handled at Georgian seaports reached a record high of over 700 thousand TEUs (an increase of 47% compared to the year 2022). As traffic continues to grow, let me also highlight that investment needs are far bigger than what the public resources can accommodate. Therefore, the private sector and international financial institutions play a pivotal role in accelerating the development of our transport networks and capabilities,” – the Deputy Minister stated.

Guram Guramishvili once again reaffirmed Georgia's readiness to promote the regional transport connection and stronger involvement and cooperation.