Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Genadi Arveladze, is participating in the Senior Officials Meeting of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program, currently taking place in the Kyrgyz Republic.

During the meeting, Arveladze joined discussions on planned activities under CAREC, focusing on key areas such as trade facilitation, transport, energy, and e-commerce in the context of implementing the CAREC 2030 Strategy and Action Plan.

He announced that Georgia is advancing a major project aimed at improving trade facilitation and customs administration. The initiative seeks to align trade and trade finance documentation internationally, enhancing interoperability and efficiency. A central element of this effort is the establishment of customs checkpoints operating under a "single window" system across CAREC countries. This approach aims to reduce bureaucratic delays for traders along the Middle Corridor.

According to Arveladze, a feasibility study for this regional project will be completed by the end of the year. Georgia and Azerbaijan will pilot the “single window” system with financial support from the Asian Development Bank, becoming the first CAREC countries to implement it.

He also emphasized that the CAREC 2030 Transport Strategy aligns closely with Georgia’s national transport and logistics priorities. “Infrastructure modernization is a key priority for Georgia,” he said, citing the construction of over 300 km of the East-West Expressway—part of the CAREC corridor—and the nearing completion of a railway modernization project, which will boost annual freight capacity from 27 million to 48 million tons.

Arveladze further noted that strategic projects such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the Anaklia deep-sea port are critical assets for enhancing Georgia’s role in the Middle Corridor.

In addition to transport, the Deputy Minister spoke about ongoing and upcoming projects in energy, e-commerce, innovation, agriculture, and environmental sustainability. He underlined Georgia’s goal to become a regional transport and logistics hub and addressed climate challenges and the country’s response strategies.