Genadi Arveladze, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, drew attention to the Middle Corridor as a reliable alternative connecting Europe and Asia and its development opportunities during his speech at the panel within the 23rd ministerial meeting of the Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) program, which concerned the development prospects of the Middle Corridor. 

The event took place in the Republic of Kazakhstan, in the city of Astana.

"The strategic geographical location of Georgia naturally determines the country's role as a gateway between Europe and Asia. In recent years, the country has further strengthened its transit and logistics potential through significant investments in transport infrastructure and also by improving the legal and institutional framework. The government has adopted a logistics and transport strategy and action plan, and is also implementing a number of strategic projects such as railway modernization, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, East-West highway, Anaklia deep-water port and others.

We are actively attracting investments in logistics and intermodal facilities in order to strengthen the positions of the regional logistics hub of Georgia. It is significant that against the backdrop of the growing popularity of the Middle Corridor, the private sector's interest in logistics projects is increasing, which will significantly increase Georgia's integration into regional and international transport networks.

With the right policies and coordinated actions of the corridor countries, we can further expand and develop our transport routes to facilitate trade, as well as give new impetus to economic activities around the corridor and promote sustainable development both in the CAREC region and beyond. The mentioned infrastructural projects will significantly contribute to the integration of Georgia in the regional and international transport networks, as well as increase the attractiveness of the middle corridor.

The Government of Georgia is also actively working on the development of port infrastructure on the Black Sea and activation of ferry traffic to other Black Sea ports. Increasing connectivity with the Black Sea ports is a priority direction of the government. The increase in the frequency of direct ferry traffic to the ports of Romania and Bulgaria has a positive effect on the cargo turnover rate, in particular, according to the data of the 9th month of 2024, it increased by 21 percent compared to the same period of the previous year," - the Deputy Minister noted.

The CAREC ministerial includes not only high-ranking representatives of member countries, but also heads of such organizations as the Asian Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the World Trade Organization, and others. The main theme of the 23rd ministerial meeting is to define measures, strategic goals and plans for climate change in the region.