Georgia, Uzbekistan to deepen economic, transit ties

An intergovernmental commission meeting will be held in Tashkent this year with the aim to discuss development of economic ties between Georgia and Uzbekistan, Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili said on Tuesday during his visit to the country.

Davitashvili said cooperation was a “priority” for both countries from the economic point of view, resulting in the setting of “specific goals” of cooperation, which would be implemented within the bilateral intergovernmental commission this year.

The Press Office of the Georgian Government cited Davitashvili as saying deepening of trade relations and increase of exports and imports from both sides were of “great importance” for both countries.

We have made plans to connect the Georgian free economic and industrial zones with the Tashkent Technopark and to implement joint projects so that Uzbek and Georgian manufacturers can benefit as much as possible from the advantages that Georgia has in terms of free trade with Europe”, Davitashvili noted.

Davitashvili also mentioned the “great potential” of cooperation in transit involving the two countries.

The Minister noted Georgia’s “record amount of cargo turnover” with Uzbekistan in the current year, noting the figure was expected to double. He also noted Georgian authorities were working to enable freight transportation of “several hundreds of thousands” of tons by railway and other transport infrastructure.