Georgia’s Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Levan Davitashvili, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexander Khvtisiashvili, visited Aktau, Kazakhstan, with a delegation to meet with representatives of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Turkey and discuss the development of the Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor.
According to the Ministry of Economy’s press release, the parties agreed to develop the infrastructural and operation components of the Middle Corridor. To that end, they signed several documents concerning the specific steps that need to be taken for improving the capacity of the Middle Corridor, particularly as related to plans for 2022-2027 for relieving traffic and congestion.
Following the meeting, Minister Davitashvili drew attention to the “important steps” taken in recent years to improve the effectiveness of the Middle Corridor. According to him, since 2014, when cargo trains first started to travel through the Middle Corridor, a significant increase has been seen in its use. In that context, the Minister cited 2021 data and stated that over 10,000 China-Europe TEUs (twenty-foot-long containers) passed through Georgia.
Per Minister Davitashvili it is “important” to develop the infrastructure and key aspects of the corridor. In that context, he also pointed out the necessity for the digitalization of transport routes and corridors on the Black Sea.
Per the Ministry, on their part, the Azerbaijani, Kazakh, and Turkish delegations expressed their readiness to jointly take measures on increasing the efficiency and attractiveness of the Middle Corridor.
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