Georgia, Bulgaria sign memorandum recognising certificates of sailors involved in coastal navigation

Georgia and Bulgaria have signed a memorandum recognising certificates of sailors involved in coastal navigation, with the deal signed in Sofia during a working visit of Guram Guramishvili, the Deputy Minister of Economy, to the country, the Ministry of Economy said on Thursday.

Guramishvili said the mutual recognition of certificates was “very important for supporting the work” of Georgian sailors, while the Ministry noted four Black Sea countries - Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine - now recognised the certificates, which “increased opportunities and scope” of the professionals’ employment in the region.

Connectivity on the Black Sea is very important for Georgia - our country has a maritime border with Bulgaria, and the intensification of cargo transportation and the improvement of connectivity is an important factor for the development of the Middle Corridor. We talked about these and other important issues at the meeting with my Bulgarian colleague and set concrete measures that include both infrastructural and procedural components” Guramishvili said.

The Deputy Minister added the Georgian side was “interested in further increasing” direct ferry traffic between the two countries, which he said would contribute not only to the growth of bilateral trade but also to increasing the attractiveness of his country’s transport corridor function.

Guramishvili said the role of the Middle Corridor as an alternative Europe-Asia connecting route had “significantly increased” over a recent period, allowing Georgia and Bulgaria to “better use” their transport and transit opportunities.

While in Bulgaria, the Georgian delegation held a meeting at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, where parties discussed ongoing projects in the maritime sector between the two countries and possibilities of deepening future cooperation.

Among other issues discussed during the meeting were opportunities of increasing the frequency of the Burgas-Batumi ferry service and launching connections between Burgas and Poti.