Ashgabat, Tbilisi strengthening business partnership
By Trend
Turkmen Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs hosted a meeting of Turkmen officials with Georgian Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Akaki Sagirashvili, Trend reports referring to the Union.
The sides discussed the aspects of diversification of cooperation in the trade and economic fields taking into account the export opportunities of the Union. The role of the working group on trade issues established within the intergovernmental commission was emphasized.
Chairman of the Union Alexander Dadaev spoke about the indicators of the development of the private sector of the local economy and large-scale investment projects being implemented by entrepreneurs in various spheres.
Ashgabat and Tbilisi are considering the projects to create a transport corridor between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea regions, the use of which will ensure interregional integration with the European and the Middle Eastern countries.
Lapis Lazuli transport corridor project can be cited as a concrete example. In accordance with this project, railways and motorways will connect Turghundi (the Afghan province of Herat) with Ashgabat, then with the Caspian Sea port of Turkmenbashi.
The corridor will stretch to Baku, then through Tbilisi to Ankara with branches in Poti and Batumi, then from Ankara to Istanbul.
The project budget, which aims at facilitating the transit logistics and simplifying the customs procedures in the region, is estimated at $2 billion.
Georgia periodically voices its readiness to ensure reliable and safe transit of energy resources through its territory from the Caspian Sea basin and Central Asia. Turkmenistan with natural gas reserves ranks fourth in the world.
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