During the official visit of the Uzbek government delegation to Georgia, the two countries signed a memorandum on cooperation in the field of transportation. This document includes construction/long-term lease of sea terminals/warehouses in Georgian ports by Uzbekistan, cooperation in civil aviation, development of road transportation, as well as joint research and application of innovations in the field of transport and infrastructure, EastFruit reports based on the press service of the Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan.
The relevant press release notes that 2022 Uzbekistan’s export-import traffic through the Georgian ports of Poti and Batumi amounted to 864,000 tons, 72% more than in 2021 (503,000 tons in 2021).
On July 12-14 this year, the Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan delegation paid an official visit to the Georgian city of Batumi. During the visit, representatives of the Ministry of Transport familiarized themselves with the activities of the ports of Poti, Batumi, Anaklia, Poti Free Economic Zone, Sarpi checkpoint, and Kutaisi International Airport.
At the meeting between the Deputy Minister of Transport of Uzbekistan and the Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, they discussed proposals on the effective use of the existing infrastructure of the Georgian ports of Poti and Batumi for export-import cargo transportation of Uzbekistan, as well as on the construction of port terminals on the territory of Georgian ports by representatives of Uzbek business.
Following the visit, an action plan for developing bilateral cooperation between the Republic of Uzbekistan and Georgia for 2023-2024 was signed.
The Middle (Middle) Corridor, the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TCITR), is an alternative to the Russian Trans-Siberian Railway for delivering goods from China to Europe, which began operating in 2017. It runs through China, Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and on to Turkey and European countries. The transportation involves rail and sea transport (via the Caspian Sea).
Thanks to the opening of a railroad route from Uzbekistan to Turkmenistan’s seaports on the Caspian Sea, Uzbekistan joins the TCITR in a way that provides the shortest path from Uzbekistan to Azerbaijan and then to Georgia. EastFruit analysts note the vast potential of this route, which can also be successfully used to deliver Uzbek fruit and vegetable products to European markets.
TCITR unites more than 20 owners of mainline infrastructure and carriers from 8 countries – Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, China, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, and Turkey. In the summer of 2021, Uzbekistan also announced its decision to join the project participants as an associate member.
Source: East-Fruit