Prime Minister: Georgia has ambition to become logistics centre for Europe and Asia
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Georgia has proven itself as a reliable transit country and we have an ambition to become a logistical centre connecting Europe and Asia.”
These words were spoken by Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili to a crowd of international experts at the World Economic Forum in China.
The Georgian official spoke at today’s session titled New Silk Road, during the five-day event in China’s major port city Dalian.
Prime Minister Garibashvili, who started his official meetings earlier today, stressed Georgia would play a "crucial role” as an energy and transport route within the New Silk Road project that envisaged finding the shortest and easiest connecting routes between Europe and Asia.
Garibashvili emphasised that American and Chinese companies were interested in constructing a deep-water port in Georgia that would meet 100 million ton trade turnover annually. The new port would help increase Georgia’s role as a transit nation.
Construction of the port will cover seven phases. We have launched negotiations with interested parties. Georgia is on the verge of several billion investments,” Garibashvili said.
Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili met with Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum. Photo by Prime Minister’s webpage.
Additionally Garibashvili underscored his country’s significance for transporting Chinese products to Europe.
Several months ago a pilot train from China arrived to Georgia in nine days. This means a reduction in transit time and subsequent cost reduction for China.”
The aim of the Georgian Government is to make the country a centre of peace, trade and logistics,” he added.
Also today PM Garibashvili held several meetings with leading Chinese companies that planned to invest several million in various projects in Georgia.
A leading Chinese company could implement a new $1 billion USD highway construction project in Georgia.
The Prime Minister of Georgia and a delegation of Georgian officials are on their way to China for a five-day working visit.
"China is ready for a visa free travel regime with Georgia. We wish this and if Georgia is also interested in this issue we might start negotiations,” Chinese Ambassador to Georgia Yue Bin told local Rezonansi newspaper.
State-owned enterprise Dongfang Electric has pledged to contribute about $180-$200 million for construction of a 150 megawatt Thermal Power Plant (TPP) in Georgia’s western Tkibuli region.
Georgia will soon begin exporting wine to one of China’s major port cities, Dalian. Georgian Wine Company (GWC) signed a Memorandum with Dalian Free Trade Zone today to solidify the deal.
Georgia will be the first country in the region to launch negotiations with China about free trade, said Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili after meeting his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang in China today.
Georgia will be one of the first countries in which the newly established Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will invest.The Bank’s investment in Georgia will provide numerous benefits for the local economy, mainly in the fields of transport and energy.
Company plans to build gas storage and Thermal Power Plant
One of China’s leading engineering firms is expressing its interest to invest in Georgia’s gas and energy sectors.
A Georgian Culture House will open in the Chinese city of Yiwu in the near future as a symbol of the close cooperation between the two countries. It will be the first large-scaled Georgian-Chinese project.
Today in capital Beijing Usupashvili met his Chinese counterpart and participated in a conference dedicated to the New Silk Road prospects.