Botchorishvili told the press conference that closer strategic cooperation with Central Asia is a key foreign policy priority for Georgia. “Georgia has an important role in developing this link and expanding transport capacity, and realising the Middle Corridor’s full potential is in our shared strategic interest,” she said. She was describing the route from Central Asia across the South Caucasus and the Black Sea to Europe, and nCa carried her words on Sunday.
Kazakhstan’s Mukhtar Tileuberdi spoke of coordinated action to unlock the transport and transit potential of Central Asia and the South Caucasus, and Kyrgyzstan’s Jeenbek Kulubaev proposed concentrating joint efforts on diversifying trade and logistics routes, digital transformation, investment and industrial cooperation, in nCa’s account of the ministries’ statements.
“Georgia has an important role in developing this link and expanding transport capacity, and realising the Middle Corridor’s full potential is in our shared strategic interest,” she said.
Turkmenistan’s Rashid Meredov proposed closer work with the International Road Transport Union, the Organisation for Co-operation between Railways and the International Maritime Organization, and raised a fibre-optic cable along the Caspian to Black Sea corridor. Tajikistan’s and Uzbekistan’s ministries reported discussion of political dialogue, transport corridors, trade and industrial cooperation.
Tileuberdi also met Botchorishvili bilaterally. Kazakhstan’s foreign ministry listed the priorities on the Trans-Caspian route as coordinated modernisation of infrastructure, more efficient ports and railways, better tariff conditions and a move to electronic documents, Kapital.kz reported on Saturday.
The six ministers visited the port of Batumi, where Ivane Abashidze, director of the Maritime Transport Agency, briefed them on Georgia’s seaports, their transit capacity and current projects, with the Anaklia deep-sea port singled out, the Georgian ministry said. Botchorishvili recalled that Georgia established strategic partnerships with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan this year, received the Turkmen president on a state visit in July and sent its prime minister to Kyrgyzstan on a first official visit in June.