1in.am The Georgian "Century Project" seems to be entering the implementation phase. In July, Georgia's Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Mariam Kvirikashvili announced that the government is taking on the financial responsibility for the construction of the Anaklia port. Accordingly, the state will maintain a controlling stake, key infrastructure and land will remain under its management, while private investors and international partners will manage separate terminals.
Georgian media reported that on August 1, a special vessel from the Belgian company "Jan De Nul" entered the waters of Anaklia to "clean the seabed." According to the project, the future port should have a water depth of at least 17.5 meters to accommodate large cargo ships. Subsequently, a protective "wall" of 1380 meters in length should be constructed to protect the vessels from turbulence. The first phase of the work, estimated at around 600 million dollars, is expected to be completed by 2029. The port will handle 600,000 containers annually. Meanwhile, the Georgian government must complete the construction of the railway and highway leading to the port.
The idea of the "Anaklia" port or the Georgian "Century Project" has been circulating since 2000, but as we can see, practical steps are only now being taken. Undoubtedly, the initiatives of the Georgian government are influenced by the European Union's activation in improving and modernizing communication between Europe, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia. It is noteworthy that the information about the start of work in Anaklia by the Belgian company followed the informal summit of Central Asia + Azerbaijan in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan.
An official summit in this format will be held next October in Turkmenistan. Participants are discussing the modernization of transport infrastructure and the development of integration programs in this area. Earlier, Georgian Prime Minister Kobakhidze visited Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, while the presidents of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan visited Tbilisi. The start of these processes was likely initiated during the Azerbaijani president's visit to Tbilisi in April, which he concluded with closed negotiations with Bidzina Ivanishvili, the honorary chairman of the ruling "Georgian Dream" party and the de facto leader of Georgia.
In his speech at the informal meeting in Cholpon-Ata, Ilham Aliyev stated that Central Asia and Azerbaijan are already a "geopolitical and geo-economic unified region." Meanwhile, the leaders of Central Asian countries have noted the connectivity area as Central Asia and the South Caucasus. With the launch of the Anaklia port project, Georgia seems to be emphasizing its subjectivity in the Europe-South Caucasus-Central Asia connectivity project. What will TRIPP bring to Armenia, and when will the implementation of this critically important project commence?
* This text was automatically translated by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
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