BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 19. Georgia is committed to the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR or Middle Corridor), said Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili at a panel session "New Dawn of Eurasia" at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trend reports.
"Georgia is positioned in an essential strategic location. We are completely committed to the Middle Corridor's growth, which is rapidly becoming an intriguing and appealing alternative path. Two years ago, we inked an important Roadmap with our Kazakhstani and Azerbaijani partners. We have a clear plan for how this route will be built. This includes expanding ports, modernizing railways, airports, and road infrastructure," he noted.
According to the prime minister, Georgia has started construction of the new port of Anaklia in this regard.
"We are also carrying out works on the modernization of railway infrastructure, which should be completed this year. The capacity of Georgia's railroad will be doubled and brought to 48 million tons. We are also about to start construction of a new airport. Georgia has everything necessary to position itself as an aviation hub" - he emphasized.
The prime minister also mentioned his visit to China.
"I would also like to note China's interest in alternative routes, particularly in the Middle Corridor. I recently visited China, where I met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He confirmed China's interest in the Middle Corridor. I think this will give even more impetus to the development of TITR," Garibashvili added.
To note, the Middle Corridor links the networks of containerized rail freight transportation of China and EU countries via Central Asia, the Caucasus, Türkiye, and Eastern Europe.
The multilateral multimodal transportation infrastructure connects the Caspian and Black Sea ferry terminals to the railway systems of China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Türkiye, Ukraine, and Poland.
The middle corridor allows for increasing cargo flow from China to Türkiye, as well as to European countries, and vice versa.
A route train in this corridor transports merchandise from China to Europe in 20-25 days on average, which is one of the corridor's key advantages.