The foreign ministers of Georgia and five Central Asian countries discussed the development of transport and transit corridors linking Central Asia with the Black Sea region at a meeting in Batumi on Oct. 23, Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
The meeting brought together the foreign ministers of Turkmenistan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. They discussed bilateral and multilateral cooperation in political, trade, economic, transport and energy sectors.
Particular attention was paid to developing transport and transit corridors connecting Central Asia with the Black Sea region, as well as making effective use of the countries’ logistics infrastructure, including seaports and railway networks.
Turkmenistan proposed expanding transregional cooperation, including closer engagement with the International Road Transport Union, the Organization for Cooperation between Railways and the International Maritime Organization. The participants also noted the need to develop comprehensive measures to implement Turkmenistan’s proposals.
Telecommunications cooperation was another area of focus. Turkmenistan’s foreign minister highlighted a project to build telecommunications networks, including laying a fiber-optic cable along the Caspian-Black Sea corridor. He also pointed to Georgia’s capabilities and projects of strategic importance for developing regional connections.
The meeting aimed to strengthen coordination among the countries in developing the region’s transit potential, improving the efficiency of existing transport routes and expanding interregional ties.
As part of the event, the participants also visited the Batumi Seaport, where they learned about Georgia’s capabilities in maritime transport, transport infrastructure and regional logistics.
