Freight turnover in Middle Corridor up by 30% - economy minister
Commenting on the route that aims to become an alternative to the long-established northern route through Russia, Davitashvili said it was “important” for the Middle Corridor to “maintain long-term competitiveness”. Photo: ministry of economy
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Georgian economy minister Levan Davitashvili on Friday said the freight turnover in the Middle Corridor - a fast-developing land and sea freight route from Europe to China via Georgia - had increased by 30 percent this year, while cargo flow from Kazakhstan to Georgia had increased six times year-on-year.
Commenting on the route that aims to become an alternative to the long-established northern route through Russia, Davitashvili said it was “important” for the Middle Corridor to “maintain long-term competitiveness”.
Speaking at a meeting related to the international route in Tbilisi, he said to achieve the goal "our transport shipments should be comfortable [and] more attractive for international actors, so that the country receives additional revenue".
"The importance of the Middle Corridor is particularly noteworthy in the current geopolitical situation, when cargo traffic in the corridor has increased, and the interest of international carriers is growing every year”, Davitashvili noted.
Photo: ministry of economy
“We believe that with improved transport infrastructure - including administration - we will be able to sustain freight in the Middle Corridor in the long term", he added in his comments.
The meeting of the Trans-Caspian international route - another term for the Middle Corridor - was held for the second time in Georgia and involved officials from railway companies of Georgia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Türkiye - the states involved in the project.
Priority areas of bilateral cooperation in the energy sector were discussed on Saturday in a meeting between the Georgian economy minister Levan Davitashvili and the Azerbaijani energy minister Parviz Shahbazov.
Odile Renaud-Basso, the president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, has pledged the institution’s support for the Georgian government to turn the country into a logistics hub by strengthening intra-regional connections amid increased demands on alternative routes connecting Europe with Asia on the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili on Saturday said cargo turnover, by the country's transport sectors, including road and railway, as well as civil aviation, had increased by 16.6 percent in the first quarter of 2022 and had amounted to 12.8 million tons, this “clearly indicating” that the interest of international carriers towards the transport corridor of Georgia has been growing.
A quadrilateral declaration on the Trans-Caspian East-West Middle Corridor has been signed by Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Kazakhstan, with the agreement emphasising the importance of steps to strengthen the transit potential of the signatory states, the Economy Ministry announced on Thursday.
Georgian deputy economy minister Genadi Arveladze promoted the country’s economic environment at the Georgian-Japanese business forum in Tbilisi, the ministry of economy announced on Tuesday.
Georgian economy minister Levan Davitashvili on Thursday said the government would ensure transformation of the country into a transit corridor and logistics hub that would make rapid transportation and communication available for “businesses on two continents”.
Cargo turnover by Georgia's transport sectors, including road transport, railway freight and air cargo, increased by 2.4 percent in the first quarter of 2023 and amounted to 9.5 million tonnes, the Ministry of Economy announced on Thursday.
Georgian ports and terminals received 3,931 ships in the first quarter of 2023, the National Statistics Office of Georgia said on Friday.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday said his Government was working with counterparts from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan to “remove all barriers” and make the Middle Corridor, a logistics route connecting Central Asia and China to Europe via the South Caucasus, “more attractive”.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili highlighted Georgia’s potential to become a hub for transport, logistics, energy and airline connections, and the country’s contribution to the development of the One Belt - One Road and Middle Corridor initiatives, in an interview with China Central Televsion.