CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VIII (1) ContemporaryEurasia81 | Page 73

BENIAMIN MAILYAN
believe that Georgian and Azerbaijani authorities have to work more
coherently and synchronously to offer China the most favorable conditions
for its cooperation. As scheduled, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will be able
to cut 20-25 days off the transit time of Chinese goods to Europe. In 2014, in
Astana, an important agreement on the establishment of a coordinating
committee to organize the Aktau (Kazakhstan) - Baku (Azerbaijan) - Batumi
(Georgia) route was signed. 32 This rather ambitious new trade route between
China and Europe has been referred to as the Trans-Caspian International
Transport Route (TIRT). 33 Thus, the concept of “Economic belt – New Silk
Road” coincides with the national strategy of the Georgian government – to
make the country the trading crossroads of Eurasia.
As you can see, the Georgian side is not sitting idle and is working
hard on the quick implementation of these projects, for there is a second,
alternative route from China to Europe via Kazakhstan and Russia. If this
route begins to function earlier, Georgia risks losing its unique chance.
Officials met the first freight train from China in Tbilisi in February 2015.
Its arrival was called a historical event by the Georgian press. The freight
train travelled 6000km in just 9 days. “Georgia will become a transit hub.
The containers will continue the path to Europe from the Georgian port. At
the first stage it is expected that in this way 50-60 thousand containers will
be exported from Georgia each year, which certainly has a positive impact
on our economy” 34 , said Mamuka Bakhtadze, General Director of JSC
«Georgian Railway».
In May 2015, the head of the «Anaklia Eco Park and Port»
consortium, Teimuraz Karchava, visited Beijing, where he signed a strategic
partnership agreement with “PowerChina” corporation. Consultations with
the leaders of “Silk Road Found” were held, which discussed Chinese
financial interest in the port of Anaklia, Eco Industrial Park, the airport and
the free economic zone, as well as other transport infrastructure 35 .
Hence, the expansion of trade between the EU and China will enable
Georgia to become a logistical hub connecting China with Europe (for which
the implementation of the Anaklia Black Sea Deep Water Port project will
32
“Novyj velikij šjelkovyj put’ – kakuju on pol’zu prinesjet Gruzii?”, (in Russian), [“The
New Great Silk Road. How will Georgia benefit?”], Geoinfo – Georgia is always with you,
August 12, 2014, https://www.geomigrant.com/2014/08/12/(accessed March 3, 2019).
33
Mariam Zabakhidze, Giorgi Bakradze, Batu Kutelia, “Georgia and China: Carry away
small stones to move a big mountain” (Economic Policy Research Center-EPRC, Tbilisi,
Georgia, 2017): 24.
34
“Gruzija vstretila pervyj gruzovoj poezd iz Kitaja”, (in Russian), [“Georgia met the first
freight train from China”] Mir 24. tv, Desember 14, 2015, http://mir24.tv/news/economy/
12137548 (accessed April 7, 2019).
35
”Glava Anaklia Eco Park vedjet peregovory v Kitaje po voprosu porta Anaklija”, (in
Russian), [“The head of “Anaklia Eco Park” has been negotiating in China on the port of
Anaklia”],
Sputnik
Georgia,
June
30,
2015,
http://sputnik-
georgia.ru/economy/20150530/227732058.html#ixzz3fzG6SVq2 (accessed April 7, 2019).
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