Irakli Gharibashvili: Through my Government’s Peaceful Neighbor Initiative we are prepared to engage our neighbors and friends from Armenia and Azerbaijan to finally bring lasting peace to the South Caucasus

Through my Government’s Peaceful Neighbor Initiative we are prepared to engage our neighbors and friends from Armenia and Azerbaijan to finally bring lasting peace to the South Caucasus, the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Gharibashvili, said at the General Debate of the 78th Session of the United Nations.

As the head of government noted, Georgia is becoming a multidimensional regional hub.

“Through my Government’s Peaceful Neighbor Initiative we are prepared to engage our neighbors and friends from Armenia and Azerbaijan to finally bring lasting peace to the South Caucasus.

Dear Friends, Georgia is emerging as a multi-dimensional regional hub. Our financial services sector has garnered global recognition and we are attracting international investors, infusing additional capital into our economy. We have also prioritized investments in our infrastructure to enhance connectivity, successfully harnessing logistics and energy sectors.

We are developing strategic transport corridors to establish crucial connections between Asia and Europe. Georgia’s participation in various international initiatives and infrastructure projects enhance connectivity, facilitating trade across the Black Sea region.

The Middle Corridor has emerged as a secure and reliable route connecting East with West. We signed comprehensive roadmaps with Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, to eliminate bottlenecks and enhance the Middle Corridor from 2022 to 2027. These roadmaps provide for specific actions related to transport and logistics infrastructure development, operational optimization, the implementation of a unified tariff policy, corridor digitalization, and improvements to the regulatory framework.

In pursuit of enhancing East-West connectivity, Georgia established the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum in 2015 creating an international platform for dialogue among senior policymakers, businesses and community leaders. The upcoming Silk Road Forum is scheduled to take place in Tbilisi this year on October 26-27, bringing together approximately 2000 delegates, including high-ranking officials and business representatives from more than 60 countries.

Georgia has launched significant infrastructure projects, including the Railway Modernization Project. Upon its completion by the end of 2024, the throughput capacity of Georgian railways will double”, said the PM.