The deputies of Georgian Dream’s economy minister, Genadi Arveladze and Inga Pkhaladze, met with Carl Kress, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency’s (USTDA) Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and Eurasia, and “discussed priorities for future cooperation,” with a focus on the development of the Middle Corridor, the Economy Ministry said on January 13.
“The meeting focused in particular on the Middle Corridor, the Georgian government’s ongoing and planned projects aimed at its development, and the possibility of technical assistance from the U.S. agency in this process,” the ministry press release said.
“It was emphasized at the meeting that the development of the Middle Corridor and the integration of Georgia’s transport infrastructure into international transit networks are among the government’s priorities,” the ministry stressed, adding that it also underlined the importance of advancing regional initiatives such as the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program, the Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA), and the Trans-European Transport Network.
The ministry said the Georgian side highlighted projects of “regional significance” that would strengthen Georgia’s role as a transport hub, including the Anaklia Deep Sea Port, the modernization of Georgian Railways, the completion of the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway, the full commissioning of the East-West Highway, and the construction of a new Tbilisi International Airport. The talks also touched upon the Black Sea submarine cable project, which would “connect Georgia to the European Union’s energy market,” the ministry added.
The Georgian press release said that USTDA “expressed interest in projects aimed at the further development of the Middle Corridor,” stressing the importance of “identifying and supporting needs that will help enhance the competitiveness of this transport corridor,” as well as the possibility of attracting American investments in this process.
The U.S. agency’s working visit also includes assessing transport corridor development opportunities in Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Georgian Ministry said.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Economy’s trade, energy, maritime transport, and railway agencies, as well as officials from USTDA and the U.S. Embassy in Georgia.
The meeting comes as Georgia actively promotes its role in the Middle Corridor, a multimodal transit route linking Europe and Asia while bypassing Russia, which has drawn increased attention since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and its subsequent international isolation.
Tbilisi has recently elevated the corridor to a central place in its economic and political discourse, presenting it as part of what the ruling Georgian Dream party describes as a “pragmatic” and “sovereign” foreign policy amid growing estrangement from Western partners.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s role as a regional transit hub faces new uncertainty following the proposed Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), which would link Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave via southern Armenia, effectively bypassing Georgia, which might diminish its role in regional transit works.
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