Georgian Deputy Economy Minister, US Deputy Assistant Secretary discuss strategic cooperation, Black Sea submarine cable project
The meeting focused on the potential for “further” strengthening the existing cooperation in key sectors of the economy, the Georgian Ministry of Economy said. Photo: Ministry of Economy
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Strategic cooperation between Georgia and the United States and the partnership in trade, transport and energy were discussed on Saturday in a meeting between the Georgian Deputy Economy Minister Genadi Arveladze and Heidi Gomez, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.
The meeting focused on the potential for “further” strengthening the existing cooperation in key sectors of the economy, the Georgian Ministry of Economy said.
The officials reviewed the current “difficult” situation in the Black Sea region on the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine, and noted that the importance of the so-called “Middle Corridor” passing through Georgia had increased.
Arveladze elaborated on the actions taken by the Georgian Government in this direction and stressed the value of advancing major strategic projects like the construction of the deep sea port in country’s Black Sea town of Anaklia, aiming to create a “new, faster” maritime corridor between China and Europe, helping to restore the historic Silk Road, modernisation of railway, easter and western highway, as well as the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway railway route that passes through Georgia and is the logistical part of the corridor that connects Europe and Asia.
The meeting also emphasised the Black Sea submarine electricity cable project intended to connect the grids of the South Caucasus and European Union member states, involving the construction of a high-voltage underwater transmission infrastructure to connect Georgia with Romania and allow the export of green energy to Europe.
The Georgian official also mentioned that the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum would be held in capital Tbilisi between October 26-27, in the first edition since the Covid-19 pandemic, to review “factors defining regional and global trade and connectivity”, and pointed out that the country’s main strategic partner’s “high-level involvement” in the Forum would be “crucial”.